The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and China are co-financing projects that uphold skills development, labor migration and the prevention of trafficking women and children in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, the regional lender said Monday.

The ADB will provide 750,000 US dollars in grant while China, through Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund, will contribute 500,000 US dollars. Other participating countries will chip in another 150,000 US dollars, the ADB said.

The technical assistance will include specific interventions such as social assessments that evaluate the impact of increased physical and economic integration on vulnerable groups including women and ethnic minority groups, the ADB said, adding that the technical assistance will also support the development and piloting of a framework to mutually recognize several key technical skills and qualifications across the sub-region.

The sub-region has made huge strides in improving cross-border transport connections since 2002, giving trade and tourism a major boost, the ADB said, referring to the 2.6-million-square-kilometer linkage area of Cambodia, China, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, where 325 million people reside.

The ADB said a midterm review has recommended that more emphasis be put on human resource development issues in this sub-region.

"Technical and vocational education and training systems need to be better aligned with regional skill demands and qualifications need to be recognized across the region," said Susan Kerr, Principal Human Resource Development Specialist with ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2009)