Mekong River Commission

Information sharing vital to future of Mekong River

MRC No.14/04
Vientiane, 24 August 2004

 

Sharing information is crucial for the joint management of the Mekong River as it is the source of life, water and wealth for all those who live along its banks, Mr Siripong Hungspreug, Chairman of the Mekong River Commission Joint Committee for 2004/2005 said in Vientiane yesterday.

Mr Hungspreug, who holds the post of Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in the Thai Government, was speaking at the opening of the 20th Joint Committee Meeting of the Mekong River Commission, the first to be held in Vientiane since the MRC Secretariat relocated from Phnom Penh, Cambodia in June 2004.

He said he was pleased to note that the Mekong River Commission’s cooperation with China on the exchange of hydrological data had progressed steadily, as China delivered daily data for flood forecasting

“This continuous dialogue with our upstream partners will contribute to what could be a very interesting study being carried out this year to analyse the 2004 drought conditions,” he said.

He said the MRC had forged many important partnerships in the past year, most notably those formed by the Navigation Programme with the Rhine Commission and the International Maritime Organisation.

Mr Nguyen Hong Toan, Outgoing Chairman of the MRC Joint Committee and Secretary-General of Viet Nam National Mekong Committee, told the meeting that a Memorandum of Understanding had also been signed between MRC-Mississippi River Basin Alliance and the University of Minnesota in May 2004. “This is a particularly beneficial cooperation as much can be learned in sharing experiences,” he said.

“The MRC has also made good progress in its core and sector programmes and the Flood Management and Mitigation Programme has now been established as a Core Programme. Funding Agreements are in the process of being finalised for its five components, and the preparation of its full-scale implementation has been undertaken by the Secretariat.”

The MRC Joint Committee consists of one member from each country at no less than Head of Department level. It is responsible for the implementation of the policies and decisions of the MRC Council and supervises the activities of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat.

 

For more information, please contact:

Ms Virginia Addison, Communications Officer,
Tel: 856 21 263 263 Ext 1122.
Mobile: (856) 20 559 9139
Fax: (856-21) 263 264
Email: virginia@mrcmekong.org
Website: www.mrcmekong.org

Background on the Mekong River Commission
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established on 5 April 1995 by The Agreement on The Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin. The MRC member countries are Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. MRC maintains regular dialogue with the two upper states of the Mekong River Basin, China and Myanmar.

The MRC member countries agree to co-operate in all fields of sustainable development, utilisation, management and conservation of the water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin, such as navigation, flood control, fisheries, agriculture, hydropower and environmental protection.

The MRC consists of three permanent bodies: The Council, the Joint Committee (JC) and the Secretariat.
The National Mekong Committees (NMCs) act as focal points for the Commission in each of the member countries and are served by the respective National Mekong Committee Secretariats.

 

The Council, which meets once a year, consists of one member from each country at ministerial or cabinet level. The Council makes policy decisions and provides other necessary guidance concerning the promotion, support, co-operation and co-ordination of joint activities and programmes in order to implement the 1995 Agreement.

The Joint Committee consists of one member from each country at no less than Head of Department level. The Joint Committee is responsible for the implementation of the policies and decisions of the Council and supervises the activities of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat.

 

 

 

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