Vientiane, Lao PDR – 7 December 2017 – The Mekong River Commission (MRC) today launched a photo exhibition with the winning photos of its first photo contest at the secretariat in Vientiane, and celebrated the diversity of the Mekong and its water use with the winners and guests.

Presented at this photo exhibition are 30 photos from the MRC’s first photo contest ‘Mekong Diversity through Your Eyes’ that ran from 7 July to 24 September 2017. These photos were selected from 165 entries from 42 amateur photographers of the four Mekong countries – Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

“I’m completely thrilled at these incredibly beautiful and stunning photos taken by our winners,” An Pich Hatda, MRC’s Director of Planning Division, said at the award ceremony.

“The photos truly reveal both the beauty and diversity of the Mekong River, such as its rich ecosystems, unique livelihoods, and various water use and development. And we’d like to share this with the public through our eight-week long photo exhibition.”Guests

The public is welcome to visit the exhibition, which runs from 7 December 2017 to 31 January 2018. First 100 visitors will receive one piece of the 2018 MRC’s Mekong-Integrated Water Resources Management Project (M-IWRMP) calendar, which features our 12 winning images.

At the launching of the exhibition, 12 winners were presented awards, with top 8 receiving cash prizes between $50 and $500. Their winning images will also be used in other visual products of the MRC.

The photo contest was organised to celebrate the diversity of the Mekong River and its water and related resources, and to raise awareness of the importance of transboundary water cooperation for sustainable development of the region. It is part of the MRC’s M-IWRM Project, funded by the World Bank, which facilitates transboundary cooperation among the Lower Mekong countries at both national and basin levels, with the application of the MRC’s procedural rules and tools on water use negotiation, data sharing and river flow monitoring.

 

Note to editors:

The MRC is an intergovernmental organisation for regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin, established in 1995 based on the Mekong Agreement between Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The Organisation serves as a regional platform for water diplomacy as well as a knowledge hub of water resources management for the sustainable development of the region.

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