The Mekong River Commission

Presented by Mr. Detsada Soukhaseum, Mekong River Commission Secretariat, 16 November 2015

CONFERENCEExchange of Experience in the Field

of Water Resources Management16-17 November 2015 , Moscow, Russia

Presentation of the Mekong River Basin

Mekong River Commission Challenges Key for success Conclusion

Presentation outline

Mekong River Basin

Region’s Largest BasinTotal area: 795 000 km2Source of living for 65 million people

Upper Mekong Basin: PR of China and Myanmar

Lower Mekong Basin : Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam

to ensure sustainable development of the Mekong River including environment protection, equal use of water and free navigation

to turn the Mekong River into a sound economically prosperous, socially just and sound environmental Basin organization

to promote and coordinate sustainable management and development of water and relaetd resources for the countries mutual benefits and their people well being

Mekong River Commission

Mandate

Vision

Mission

Mekong River Commission

StructureMember

Countries:Cambodia

Lao PDR

Thailand

Viet Nam

Contribution: 18%

Contribution: 18%

Contribution: 34%

Contribution: 30%

Mekong River Commission

StructureDialogue Partners

PR of China

Myanmar

Development Partners

Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands,, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, the World Bank, ADB

MRC DIALOGUE PARTNERS

Dialogue Partners

Area of cooperation

People’s Republic of China

Republic of the Union of Myanmar

• Exchange of meteo-hydrological data during wet season

• Sharing information on drought and low flow condition in the Lancang/Mekong River

• Notification to the MRC on abnormal water fluctuations

• Exchange of technical visits• Navigation safety

Attended two MRC Summits in 2010 and 2014

• Navigation• Irrigation• Human Resources

development• Technical cooperation• Information sharing

Considering accession to the MRC

MRC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

flags Countries/organisations

Area of cooperation support

Australia planning, decentralisation, council study, capacity building, IWRM

$15,987,586

Belgium Hydropower, navigation 15,374,419

Denmark fisheries, environment, climate change, planning

$10,726,132

  EU climate change $6,435,000

France forecasting. $1,100,000

Finland council study, wmtf, information and knowledge management, capacity building, hydropower

$15,892,909

Germany wetlands, hydropower, organisational reform, climate change, watershed management

$10,195,350

MRC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

Japan Agriculture, drought management, flood management

$3,790,832

  Luxembourg: climate change. $2,600,000

Sweden planning, climate change, environment, flood management, fisheries, institutional support

$8,563,000

Switzerland council study, environment, flood management, planning

$13,694,157

USA council study, flood management. $2,500,000

World Bank Integrated water resource management

$8,000,000

MRC Council

MRC Joint Committee

Mekong River Commission Secretariat

National Mekong Committees/ Line Agencies

Government of Cambodia

Government of Lao PDR

Government of Thailand

Government of Viet Nam

Legal framework

1957

1978

1995

MEKONG RIVER COMMISSION SECRETARIAT

2014

economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River Basin

MRC Guidelines and Procedures

1. Procedure on Data and Information Exchange and Sharing (PDIES), 2001

2. Procedure for Water Use Monitoring, (PWUM), 2001,

3. Procedure for Water Quality (PWQ), 2011

4. Procedure for Notification and Prior Consultations Agreement (PNPCA), 2003

5. Procedure for Maintenance of Flows on the Mainstream (PMFM), 2008

MRC SECRETARIAT6 Programmes

At the Office of Secretariat in Vientiane (OSV)

1. Basin Development Programme (BDP)

2. Climate Change Adaptation Initiative(CCAI)

3. Environment Programme (EP)

4. Initiative for Sustainable Hydropower (ISH)

5. Integrated Capacity Building Programme (ICBP)

6.Mekong Integrated Water Resource Management Programme (M-IWRMP)

MRC SECRETARIAT6 ProgrammesAt the Office of Secretariat in Phnom Penh (OSP)

7. Agriculture and Irrigation Programme (AIP)

8. Information and Knowledge Management Programme ( IKMP)

9 Flood Management and Mitigation Programme (FMMP)

10. Fisheries Programme (FP)

11. Navigation Programme (NAP)

12. Drought Management Programme (DMP)

Challenges

• Differing long-term major national uses of the river

• Different levels of economic development, geographical position with respect to the river, and the relative significance of the Basin in each country

• Threat from rapid economic development, poor urbanization plan

• Limited understanding of the functioning of the natural systems in MRB

• institutional capacity of Member Counties

• Need for adaptation in the context of ASEAN Economic Community (EAC) in 2015.

Solutions

• Differing long-term major national uses of the river

• Different levels of economic development, geographical position with respect to the river, and the relative significance of the basin in each country

• Threat from rapid economic development, poor urbanization plan

Comprehensive Mekong Basin wide strategic Planning

Solutions

• institutional capacity of Member Counties

• Need for adaptation in the context of ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

• Poor understanding of the functioning of the natural systems in MRB

Build capacity of the Member Countries about planning tools, benchmarking tools

Keys for success

• Different priorities • Different levels of economic development,

COOPERATION

Cambodia

Lao PDR

Thailand

Viet Nam

MRCS

Keys for success

• Different priorities • Different levels of economic development,

COORDINATION

NationalProvincial LocalH

ori

zonta

lly

COMMITMENTNationalProvincial Local

Vertically

Bott

om

up

ap

pro

ach

Ministries

Line Agencies

Adequate resources

Mekong River Commission

• understanding of the functioning of the natural systems in MRB

• institutional capacity of Member Counties

MRC VISION

CAPACITY

SPIRAL MODEL

1957Mekong Commite

es

1995 Mekong

Agreement

Basin Development Plan

2005-2010

2030

IRMP based Basin

Development Strategy 2011

5 procedures

Core Function Decentralisati

on

Self financing in 2030

Phasing out of support from the

Donors

Streamlined MRCS

Basin Developmeent Plan 2016-2020

Ripanisation

Thank you