Vientiane, Lao PDR, 7 June 2022 – The Mekong River Commission will host its 12th Regional Stakeholder Forum, where a central topic will be how to improve the sharing of information and coordination of dam activities – to provide more benefits and minimize any impact on downriver communities.

Amid rapid development and changing climate, the June 29th forum will also see the launch of a landmark joint study with the Lancang Mekong Water Resource Cooperation on how to adapt to changing hydrological conditions in the Lancang-Mekong Basin. In addition, participants will be encouraged to offer feedback and recommendations on MRC steps to enhance management of transboundary fisheries, as well as its efforts in providing flood and drought early warnings.

The one-day, annual event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. Most participants will attend in-person, while others join online. Anyone else interested may watch the live broadcast via the MRC’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube platforms.

Participants will span the spectrum of stakeholders: from government officials of the six Mekong countries (the four core MRC members of Cambodia, Lao DPR, Thailand and Viet Nam, plus upstream neighbors China and Myanmar), to foreign diplomats; hydropower project owners, operators and investors; international development partners; university and other researchers; civil-society activists; and riparian community representatives. Modest financial support is available to the latter two groups, to ensure that a diverse range of voices will be heard.

Online registration is now open for those interested to join the forum, and it will be closed on 19 June 2022.

Since 2019, when the Mekong recorded unprecedented low-flow – due to drought and hydrological activities upriver – the MRC Secretariat and the Lancang-Mekong Water Resource Cooperation Centre (headquartered in Beijing) have agreed to work together on improving information sharing and joint activities in support of the six Mekong countries .

This Joint Study, entitled “Changing Patterns of Hydrological Conditions of the Lancang-Mekong Basin and Adaptation Strategies,” will be carried out in two stages. The first starts this year and is expected to yield actionable recommendations. The second stage will come during 2023-2024, implemented in coordination with the MRC Strategic Plan 2021–2025.

 

Note to Editors:

The MRC is an intergovernmental organization established in 1995 to boost regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin. Based on the Mekong Agreement among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, the MRC serves as both a regional platform for water diplomacy and a knowledge hub – to manage water resources and support sustainable development of the region. 

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