The Swiss development cooperation in the Mekong region started in the 1970s and gained a new dimension in the mid-90s when it became a priority region for cooperation. Switzerland has been supporting the economic transition of countries with initiatives in agriculture, higher education, private sector promotion, environment and public administration reforms.

The Swiss development cooperation in the Mekong Region, which comprises Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Myanmar is a joint programme between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The Swiss Cooperation Strategy  in the Mekong Region Programme 2007 -2011 aims at facilitating global and regional socio-economic integration, improving human security and safeguarding natural resources in the region by supporting countries in implementing their national development strategies for sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction and by fostering related regional initiatives.

The Swiss cooperation with the region focuses on four major thematic areas of cooperation:

• Governance
• Rural Livelihood and Natural Resource Management
• Economic development with specific focus on Private Sector Development
• Disaster preparedness and response

Governance and Gender are treated as crosscutting themes.