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CAMBODIA LAO PDR THAILAND VIETNAM ADDRESSING MEKONG TRANSBOUNDARY & CLIMATE CHALLENGES: THE NEW BDS AND MASAP Dr Anoulak kittikhoun, Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer Dr Cong Nguyen Dinh, Climate Change Adaptation Specialist Mekong River Commission Secretariat

Mekong transboundary ry challenges & opportunities • Rapid development, economic growth and poverty reduction . • The hydrology of the Mekong is changing -- increasing storage by dams. Rapid river level fluctuations, including due to climatic variability, are becoming the norm. • Pressure on the environment is increasing – fish decline, loss of environmental assets, reduction of floodplains. • Significant inequalities between different groups in society. • The basin’s climate is changing -- Average basin-wide temperatures and precipitation are increasing and sea-level around the delta is rising. much higher temperatures and the potential for more extreme floods and droughts. • Development opportunities still exist – but must be carefully managed.

A Strategy for the entire Mekong river basin This Integrated Water Resources Management Basin vision towards 2040: (IWRM)-based Basin Development Strategy (BDS) sets out how water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin should be utilised, An economically BD managed and conserved over the period 2021- prosperous, socially just, 2030 from the perspectives of the Lower Mekong River Basin countries of Cambodia, Lao environmentally sound, and PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam , in-line with their climate resilient Mekong River commitment to the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of Basin the Mekong River Basin (the 1995 Mekong Agreement ).

BASIN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY 2021-2030 AND PRIORITY 1: MAINTAIN THE ECOLOGICAL PRIORITY 2: ENABLE INCLUSIVE ACCESS & FUNCTION OF THE MEKONG STRATEGIC PLAN 2021-2025 UTILISATION OF WATER & RELATED RESOURCES Water flow & Sediment Ecosystem quality Transport services Community Poverty well-being reduction management framework Basin-wide planning and Guidance for water flow and quality Guidance for water infrastructures Basin-wide sediment management plan Limits of change for river and wetland for watersheds Alternative livelihood strategies prepared & Risks to capture fisheries mainstreamed vulnerability addressed regulatory frameworks Access and supply of Capture fisheries Gender and safe water minimised PRIORITY 4: STRENGTHEN BDS RESILIENCE AGAINST CLIMATE RISKS, MRC EXTREME FLOODS AND DROUGHTS PRIORITY 3:ENHANCE OPTIMAL AND SP SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Disaster Informed & prepared against management & flood & drought Economic adaptation growth & Inclusive sectoral growth mainstreamed at national levels flood & drought management benefits forecasting and early warning Climate change adaptation, Joint State of Basin Report Core monitoring network Decision Support Systems infrastructure operations Integrated data and information systems Coordinated Water Flood and drought Basin Development Plan Sustainable hydropower Changed fisheries future Irrigated agriculture Environment Navigation PRIORITY 5: STRENGTHEN COOPERATION AMONG ALL COUNTRIES AND STAKEHOLDERS MRC effective implementation of 1995 agreement Joint efforts & partnerships Implementation of Organizational development of the Joint Basin Mekong water Negotiation of Basin-wide Common understanding on the MRC Procedures Mekong River Commission partnerships joint projects Mekong institutions Expert Groups stakeholder platform

Supporting COVID response, recovery and resilience This MRC Strategic Plan • Economic recovery: supporting investments supports the recovery from in various water sectors COVID-19 and builds the • Water security: river monitoring, resilience of communities for forecasting, communication mechanisms for possible similar disease communities BD outbreaks through measures • Food security: development impact supporting economic monitoring, adaptation, improving fish recovery, strengthening passages, fisheries and irrigation projects water security, improving • Regional cooperation: official dialogue food security, and enhancing mechanism, cooperation with partners & regional cooperation and stakeholders, objective technical advice trust.

Mekong Climate Change Adaptation and Action Plan (MASAP) Added Values: • Support Member Countries to address transboundary risks and impacts (e.g. storage) • Enable more efficient use of resources through cooperative action and knowledge and data sharing • Enhancing the capacity of MCs in implementing their own national strategies and plans • Regional and international financing to address joint challenges/solutions (e.g. biodiversity corridor)

MASAP Mainstreaming at National Level 4 national activities in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are selected for the mainstreaming: • Cambodia : Mainstreaming climate change adaptation into water sector and sub- sector development plans at national and sub-national level in order to reduce vulnerability to the change hazards • Lao PDR : Strengthening information gathering, modelling and vulnerability assessment for climate change in priority river basins in Lao PDR • Thailand : Integrated Water Resources Management to achieve water security, and to mitigate flood and drought • Viet Nam : Development of an interdisciplinary database to serve climate change adaptation for the Mekong Delta, connecting with the database of the Mekong River Commission.

T hank you

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