Call
for Papers - AMFF-7  |
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Programme - AMFF-7 
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Registration
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Dr An Pich Hatda |
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7th Annual Mekong Flood Forum
13-14 May 2009
Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
2nd Announcement
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) will conduct the 7th Annual Mekong Flood Forum on 13-14 May 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme for the forum is:
'Integrated flood risk management in the Mekong River Basin'
The Forum aims to raise awareness on the current state of flood risk management at the national and regional levels in the Mekong River Basin. Another objective is the exchange of information on the progress with respect to the components of the Flood Management and Mitigation Programme (FMMP). These are: database systems and tools used for dissemination of the flood forecasting and early warning products, the development of guidelines for preparation of flood risk management plans and for evaluation of the impacts of flood risk management measures, to identify potential transboundary issues for negotiation, mediation and conflict prevention, as well as on the development of a regional flash flood early warning system. The products of these components are under preparation, or being produced by the Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre of the Mekong River Commission (MRC-RFMMC) and the National Centres of the MRC member countries. The Forum will also provide an opportunity for participants to discuss emerging needs related to integrated flood risk management within the basin and to share the progress each country has made towards a holistic and balanced flood management plan.
This year’s theme reflects the need for integrated approaches to flood risk management in the Mekong River Basin. Stakeholders from MRC member countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam), dialogue partners (China and Myanmar), donor agencies, MRC Programmes, scientists from the Mekong Basin and the international community, international and national civil society organisations, and local communities are expected to join the Forum. Under the umbrella of the main theme there will be four Topics.
Topic I: Optimal packages for flood management
Measures with respect to flood management and flood protection are generally categorised in structural and non-structural measures. The structural measures concern: dams, dikes, storm-surge barriers, etc. In fact they concern physical provisions to reduce the risk of flooding. Non-structural measures concern: food forecasting, flood warning, flood mapping, evacuation plans, land use zoning, etc. In practice one may expect that for a particular river basin an optimal (tailor made) package consisting of a balanced set of structural and non-structural measures has been, or will be developed.
Topic II: Recent developments in flood forecasting and early warning
The meteorology, the weather forecast and the conditions in the river basin create the basis for producing flood forecasting and early warning. An efficient data collection, processing and retrieval system for real or near-real time meteorological and weather forecast data will be of utmost importance to enable an adequate input to the river flow modelling and finally the issuing of forecasts. In case of the Mekong River Basin most of the data are collected by the agencies in the riparian countries, while forecasts for the mainstream of the Mekong River are prepared by the MRC-RFMMC as well as by most of the riparian countries. This requires a good compatibility of the data, based on agreed accuracy and protocols. From the MRC-RFMMC short-term and reliable medium term forecasts (6 - 10 days) are expected. These forecasts need to be based on up to date technology for data collection, processing, retrieval and subsequent river modelling, with a focus on flood forecasting, related to the risks in the flood prone areas. With respect to this a wide range of new developments may be observed regarding weather models, remote sensing techniques, global positioning systems, geographic information systems, automation in data collection, transmission, storage and retrieval, etc.
Topic III: Effective approaches towards transboundary flood management
The Mekong River Basin covers parts of six countries, which implies the importance of coherent approaches in river management. This will especially be of importance during extreme conditions of floods and droughts, while under such conditions measures taken in one country may easily have a negative impact in the downstream country. Under certain conditions measures in a downstream country may even have impacts in an upstream country. In the context of Component 3 on Enhancing Regional Cooperation in Addressing Trans-boundary Flood Issues of the Flood Management and Mitigation Programme (FMMP) of the Regional Flood Management and Mitigation Centre of the Mekong River Commission (MRC-RFMMC) experience is being obtained in enhancing regional cooperation. In light of this it will be of importance to present such experiences, both for the Mekong River Basins, as well as for other transboundary river basins in the World.
Topic IV: Successful flood risk management approaches
The MRC Member Countries, Dialogue Partners, International Organisations, Consultants, Communities and Civil Society Organisations have obtained an impressive treasure trove of experiences with successful flood risk management approaches. These experiences are increasingly documented. These experiences may concern the effectiveness of flood forecasting and early warning, the effectiveness of communication and measures taken during and after the event of a flood, and the measures to be taken to reduce the risk of flooding in future. For Topic IV the focus will be on successful flood risk management approaches in the various river basins of the World.
Programme
See the tentative programme from the link here
Venue
Miracle Grand Convention Hotel
99 Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Laksi,
Bangkok 10210, Thailand
Tel: (66) 0-2575-5599
Fax: (66) 0-2575-5555
Email: info@miraclegrandhotel.com
Web: www.miraclegrandhotel.com
Registration
The participation fee is US$ 200 (to be paid on site). This includes access to all session, forum package, lunches and dinner reception. The registration form for participants is available here.
Exhibits
At the occasion of the Forum organisations, companies, or institutions will be enabled to exhibit their activities, or products.
Filled out registration form for the exhibition 09 April
2009
Notification of acceptance of exhibit 17 April 2009
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