Foreword by the MRC Council Chairperson for 2021

The impacts induced by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years have demonstrated that we must be adaptable to sudden changes in our day-to-day lives yet remain steadfast in the pursuit of our mission and goals.

In the Lower Mekong Basin, the impact of climate change also presents profound implications for the social and economic well-being of our constituents, which represents an ongoing challenge for policymakers. Water diplomacy has become increasingly important in our region particularly with respect to the growing number of hydropower and other water infrastructure projects and development activities. Amid the uncertainty, the work of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) together with partners and stakeholders has become vital to managing the multitudinous opportunities and threats confronting the life-affirming Mekong River Basin. During the last five years, the MRC has closed important knowledge gaps and strengthened relationships among the MRC Member Countries, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as well as with our Upper Mekong partners China and Myanmar. This is why the Completion Report for the MRC Strategic Plan 2016–2020 is the basis for the next phase of evolution, both for the MRC and for our region. It provides insight into the accomplishments of the last five years and a lens with which we can look the future feeling reassured. The collaborative work continues. Recognizing the interdependence of our region, the MRC’s success in increasing cooperation with China and its agreement to share crucial, year-round water level and rainfall data for the first time is highly consequential for the peoples of the Lower Mekong Basin. Moreover, the recent inaugural ASEAN-MRC Water Security Dialogue highlighted the collective competition for finite water resources yet simultaneously deepened the bonds with other Southeast Asian countries. The work of the MRC continued to attract world interest and collaboration. By the end of 2020, the MRC had signed more than 30 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with various regional and international partners. Today, the MRC is a substantially different organization than in 2016, which is testament to its capacity to transform in the face of new realities. Since 2016, the MRC Secretariat has undergone a fundamental restructuring to emerge as a leaner, more dynamic body trusted by the Member Countries and Development Partners alike. In the last five years, additional regional development strategies, studies and guidelines have been put in place to fill the knowledge gaps and to safeguard an increasingly fragile riverine environment. The established MRC procedures are used by the Member Countries and provide an enabling environment for cooperation in areas such as data sharing to maintain an acceptable flow regime and water quality throughout the LMB. The MRC has also widened its Prior Consultation, i.e. its public engagement process, so that regional stakeholders can have a say in future outcomes. But as the Completion Report establishes, there is still work to be done. History teaches us that change is an inescapable constant, which is why I believe the MRC will implement further organizational development and its new Basin Development Strategy (BDS) to stay at the vanguard of responsible management of the Mekong River Basin. Lessons learned from the MRC Strategic Plan 2016–2020 had already served as the basis of the next planning cycle are enshrined in the BDS 2021–2030 and the MRC Strategic Plan 2021–2025. But with uncertainty about the trajectory and pace of climate change lying before us, transboundary water resources management and water diplomacy must recognize that change is inevitable. We have to adapt to the new climate reality with approaches that are flexible and responsive to changing conditions. The guiding Mekong Agreement first signed in 1995 began a mission to safeguard the future of our beloved Mekong River Basin. As we look back at the last five years of the MRC’s work; we can see how much has been achieved, and how much work is yet to be completed. I am pleased to commend the Completion Report for the MRC Strategic Plan 2016–2020 to you.

H.E. General Prawit Wongsuwon Deputy Prime Minister Chairperson of the Thai National Mekong Committee Member of the MRC Council for Thailand Chairperson of the MRC Council for 2021