Mekong Basin Development Perspective and its Challenges

at the Singapore International Water Week 2010-River Basin and Delta Management Workshop

28 June 2010

Content of presentation1. Purpose of presentation2. Understanding about Mekong River Basin: Geography and peoples3. 1995 Mekong Agreement and Mekong River Commission4. MRC Basin Development Plan Framework

– Approach to developing a basin-wide development plan– Comprehensive management planning of water resources– Regional Cooperation and Transboundary Governance– Harmonized Basin and National Basin Planning Processes

5. The Mekong Development Strategy 6. The Mekong Development Challenges 7. Conclusion and comments8. Key issues for Discussion

Purpose of presentation

• To present to the Workshop: Mekong Basin Development Perspective and its Challenges, focusing mainly on Basin Development Plan and its planning process, as the whole development perspective and its challenges in terms of institutional functions (of Mekong River Commission) for development and the Mekong river basin itself.

Understanding about Mekong River Basin: Geography and peoples

Mekong River Basin: Geography and peoples

The Mekong River Basin

Area: 795,000 km2Length: 4,800 km

5

1995 Mekong Agreement and MRC

• 1995 Mekong Agreement singed on 5 April 1995 by Lower Mekong Basin countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, outlines the legal mandate of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), the International River Basin Organization implementing its functions to support the countries’ development and cooperation based on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles.

MRC adopted the IWRM principles

The ‘IWRM Strategic Directions’ focuses eight priority IWRM key result areas that are seen as most relevant to the MRC’s goals of sustainable, optimal and equitable development:– Economic development and poverty alleviation– Environmental protection– Social development and equity– Dealing with climate variability– Information based planning and management– Regional cooperation– Governance– Integration through basin planning

MRC Strategic Plan 2006-2010

Three results:• focusing on pro-poor development through

sustainable development, greater engaging in facilitating cross-border trade so as to make a real effect on the lives of the people within the basin,

• strengthening country ownership of the MRC activities and MRC’s value added, and

• consolidating an IWRM approach to the Basin Development Planning process.

MRC Basin Development Plan Framework

1. Approach to developing a basin-wide development plan2. Comprehensive management planning of water resources3. Regional Cooperation and Transboundary Governance4. Harmonized Basin and National Basin Planning Processes

What is Basin Development Plan?

• The 1995 Mekong Agreement clearly defines the Basin Development Plan as the general planning tool and process that the MRC Joint Committee would use as a blueprint to identify, categorize and prioritize the projects and programs to seek assistance for and to implement the plan at the basin level aiming at achieving socio-economic development while preserving the environment sustaining the unique and most productive ecosystem of the world.

Approach to developing a basin-wide development plan

BDP Planning Units

• The LMB is divided into 10 sub-areas as planning unites for the BDP purpose based on geographic, hydrological and administrative feathers, characterized by Transboundary planning unit between two or three countries, country planning unites and the whole LMB-regional planning unite

BDP Planning Cycle

The IWRM-based BDPcomprises three elements:• Development Scenarios, which assess the potential and constraints for the

further development of some of the water resources in the various parts of the Mekong Basin. The results will guide the formulation of the IWRM-based Basin Strategy and the project portfolio.

• An IWRM-based Basin development Strategy, which provides a long-term view of how the Mekong Basin may be developed in a sustainable manner for poverty reduction. The strategy will also guide the implementation of the IWRM at basin, national and sub-basin levels, and assist line agencies with preparation of plans and projects that are sensitive to resource protection issues.

• A project portfolio of structural (investment) projects and supporting non-structural projects, as envisioned in the 1995 Agreement, to develop some of the Mekong Basin’s water and related resources and minimise harmful effects that might result from natural occurrences and man-made activities.

considered basin-wide development scenarios

Comprehensive management planning of water resources

Flexible IWRM-based Basin Development Strategy

• Defines or reconfirms the long-term goals and current specific objectives of basin development and management.

• Defines the ‘development space’ of the basin’s water and related resources and strategic guidance for the use and management of that space.

• Creates IWRM guidelines and processes that will assist water managers at the national and sub-basin levels in the allocation, use and management of water resources.

• Provides a relational planning framework for the basin, national and sub-basin levels, building on the existing MRC procedures and associated guidelines under the 1995 Mekong Agreement.

• Allocates responsibilities for the implementation of the Strategy to the key target groups (riparian countries, MRC, development partners and others).

Regional Cooperation and Transboundary Governance

IWRM-based Basin Development Strategy

• is ‘owned’ and implemented by the four Member countries, its implementation that each country is able to adapt the guidelines and processes in the Strategy into various transboundary and national governance processes.

• At the transboundary level, this relates to how each country is able to work through the MRC cooperation process and interact with each other to use and manage the development space

• A priority for the MRC for the next few years (2011-2015) is the consultation with, and participation by the broader basin community to improve processes for transparent basin wide dialogue, and encouraging the development of national approaches to consultation that relate well to the basin perspective.

Harmonized Basin and National Basin Planning Processes

IWRM-based BDS formulation process

• was agreed among member states stakeholders and to be implemented by all for development of socio-economic growth and environmental sound for the whole Mekong basin.

• creates a common understanding process for the whole river basin as well national basin planning to be integrated and harmonized, providing good development and cooperation platform to maximize cooperation at the basin level through MRC activities.

• catalyzes and promotes better cooperation among different agencies and institutions with different stakeholders at national and local level who involve water and related resources management and development

• The water related policies, strategies and regulations from each country have been discussed and analyzed during the stages of this strategy formulation.

The Mekong Development Strategy

1995 Mekong Agreement

Development strategies:• Achieve the full potential of sustainable benefits

from the Mekong River Basin• Increasing demand from countries for a basin-

wide view on how the proposed developments in the LMB can be achieved in a sustainable and mutual beneficial way

• The need for a framework to help countries undertake developments with due sustainability considerations, both transboundary and national

MRC Strategic Plan 2006-2010

Three broad development aspects/issues:1. Tangible results focused on poverty reduction through

sustainable development2. Creating ownership and value-added with a broadened

interpretation to include better integration of MRC and national development plans

3. Adopting an integrated water resource management (IWRM) approach which is necessary for the MRC to jointly promote development and conservation to ensure sustainable cooperation for the utilization of the Mekong’s common resources.

MRC’s Summit held in Hua Hin on 5th April 2010

• is the commitment of the four member countries for their support for sustainable development and management of the Mekong water and related resources

• reaffirmed by the Head of the Government the recognizing the need for an accelerating development and at the same time finding a balance between development and conservation including capacity development for climate change adaptation.

The Mekong Development Challenges

Development Challenges • the need to meet the accelerated demand for energy and raw

material driving by globalization and economic connectivity, low public investment in water management infrastructure, high poverty rate mostly of rural population, shortage of skill and know how etc..

• results from scenarios assessment indicated that while hydropower benefit could be high, the impact hydropower may caused to the basin environment, ecosystem an fisheries resources could be very high too with great implication on millions of people livelihood mostly subsistence farmers and fisher especially in Tonle Sap Lake affect to about 2 million people in Cambodia

• Achieving sustainable hydropower development while preserving vital ecosystems of the basin and food production modernization such as irrigation and drainage as well as navigation, are other major challenges facing by government’s decision makers, investors and concerned stakeholders.

Challenges for next five years 2011-2015

to achieve the tangible targets:• Understanding of functions of Mekong Basin natural

resources and their potential development• Emerging development trends in the whole basin including

on mainstream and tributaries of the Mekong river• Ensuring mutual benefits to all Member States• Minimizing the harmful effects from natural concurrences

and man-made activities• Keeping balance of environmental protection and

conservation compared with the development and utilization of water and related resources of the Mekong River Basin,

• Emerging climate change challenge

MRC challenges

• MRC to deliver its products to the member countries • The implementation of IWRM as cooperative and

operative framework • Successful implementation of IWRM-based basin

development strategy• Well designed IWRM-based basin development plan• Implementing the roles and core functions of MRC• Enhanced public participation of different stakeholders• MRC to commit for riparianisation that accountability,

responsible by itself, fund securing in 2030.

Conclusion and comments• Mekong BDP is the process to support and engage the integrated

national and regional development planning guided by the IWRM-based strategy with full participation of all stakeholders is intended to be a transparent and effective at regional, national and sub-basin or River Basin Organization level and support sustainable and equitable development of the Mekong basin as envisioned by MRC.

• Major challenges would be different level of development and interest of member countries. In spite strong political will, MRC is still an organization depending heavily on its Secretariat for coordination and project and programme implementation and management with less direct involvement of line agencies at national level.

• Riparianization and decentralization which will begin at the beginning of the upcoming Strategic Plan of MRC (2011-2015) and IWRM-based basin development strategy will mark new trend in the history of MRC towards an effective river basin organization.

Key issues for Discussion• How to involve China as Upper Mekong Basin Country to MRC? • There are different interests in the development of different

countries in the Mekong Basin; mechanism and procedure for benefit sharing.

• How to make MRC to be efficient partner among other players in water and related resources management, development and planning?

• MRC is not the basin authority, it just river basin commission, what should be best suitable roles and responsibilities of all parties concerned (MRCS, NMCSs, and Line Agencies.

• How MRC can effectively deliver its products useful to the Member countries?

Thank you very much for your kind attention