1. Background:
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established through the 1995 Mekong Agreement between the governments of Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The role of the MRC is to co-ordinate and promote co-operation in all fields of sustainable development, utilisation, management and conservation of the water and related resources of the Mekong Basin.
The MRC Mekong-Integrated Water Resources Management Project (M-IWRMP) is a cross-cutting project that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in a way that maximises economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. It coordinates and administers five bilateral projects of the four member countries at the Transboundary level (thereafter, referred to as the “transboundary projects”) that facilitate cross-border dialogue and promote the IWRM approach to address key issues in the use of common water-related resources.
The Communication Outreach Component under M-IWRMP facilitates dialogue in the sub-basins and communicates IWRM principles to different stakeholders—including government agencies, the private sector, civil society and local communities, through the use of a wide range of communication approaches. The dissemination of the MRC knowledge and IWRM principles, the development of communication capacity of the five transboundary projects, and the promotion of their activities and achievements are the core function of this component.
In this context, the component seeks a consultant (Communication Associate) to enhance the ability of the component to deliver communication support to the five transboundary projects.

2. Objectives / Outputs:
The position aims to provide assistance to the work of the component, in particular the coordination with the transboundary project teams for the implementation of joint communication activities and joint promotion, and the development of communication capacity of the national teams.
The consultant is expected to increase the information flow between the MRC and the project teams, which consist of the National Mekong Committees (NMCs), line agencies and/or project working groups. S/he is also expected to ensure that communication work at both regional and transboundary levels are well coordinated and collaborated for the maximum effect, and that appropriate communication outreach materials are produced and reached to the targeted audiences, including provincial and local authorities and community-based water resources users.

3. Responsibilities / Tasks:

• Liaise between the national teams of the five transboundary projects and the MRC communication and IWRM teams;
• Collect information from the national teams on their upcoming and ongoing activities in a timely manner and develop rolling work plans;
• In collaboration with the national teams, assess local needs for public information on the MRC and IWRM, help produce new information materials, and help organise communication events;
• Relay the MRC key messages and communication products to the national communication focal points and monitor the dissemination of those products at sub-national level;
• Stay alert to new communication opportunities to promote the MRC knowledge, IWRM principles and transboundary projects, and seize the opportunities to disseminate promotional materials;
• Draft texts on basin-wide worthy topics on the transboundary issues and success stories to be disseminated through the MRC communication channels;
• Take pictures and/or shoot video footage to archive the project activities for communication purposes;
• Assist and guide the national teams in communication work planning and implementation;
• Provide on-the-job training and mentoring on the local communication activities to the national communication teams when needs arise; 
• Act as a quality control of local language information products; and
• Perform other related tasks assigned by the IWRMP and Communication teams.

4. Itinerary:
The consultant will be based at the MRC Secretariat in Vientiane, Lao PDR, with frequent travel to member countries.

5. Working Principles / Reporting line:
Under the technical supervision of the Communication Officer of the M-IWRM Communication Component, the consultant will report to the Chief Executive Officer. S/he will work closely with other communication personnel and project-related personnel.