This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was jointly prepared and approved by the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, hereafter referred to as ‘partners’. The purpose of this MOU is to establish a legal and policy framework to facilitate the cooperation among partners in the implementation of the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance project (MBDS), hereby referred to as ‘project’. Under this MOU, the partners agree that:

1. The project aims at strengthening national and sub-regional capabilities in disease surveillance of, and outbreak response to five priority diseases, in order that they can be rapidly and effectively controlled. This would also provide essential information for the development of health and social policy to finally reduce the burden arising from them.

2. The priority diseases are Dengue Infection, Malaria, Severe diarrhea (including Cholera), Vaccine Preventable Diseases, and Outbreak    of diseases with sub-regional significance.

3. The scope of the cooperation includes system development, institutional strengthening, human resource development, information exchange, joint outbreak responses and other joint activities.

4. The project recognizes the there are many other existing cooperating mechanisms on diseases surveillance and partnership building is one   of the main focuses of this project.

5. The project is responsible to an Executive Board comprising the policy makers assigned by the partners, and other stakeholders. The project implementation will be carried out by the Coordinating Committee, Comprising the contact persons assigned by the partners.

6. A permanent coordination office will be established in Thailand, in the most effective and economical manner.

7. A five – year action plan will be developed and approved by the Executive Board. This will provide the milestones for the implementation. The action plan can be revised at each annual meeting of the Executive Board.

8. The partners are committed to provide strong support to, and participate actively in the project. The partners are also committed to mobilize adequate resources, nationally and internationally, to support the project.

9. This MOU will be effective from the date of official endorsement by all six ministries. The effective MOU will last for 5 years and can be revised or renewed.

Completed in Kunming, Yunnan Province, the People’s Republic of China 22 November, 2001 in duplicate in English languages for six originals.