Viet Nam Human Rights
Sustainable future for the Mekong basin
15/8/14
With the theme “Building a sustainable future for the
Mekong region in the context of
security for food - water - energy and supporting formation of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015”, LMI
conference focused on discussing the opportunities and challenges for the sustainable
development of the Mekong basin and propose several
specific cooperative measures to narrow the development gap and promote regional
economic integration towards
ASEAN community in 2015. All ministers agreed that, after 5 years since
its inception, LMI has become an effective cooperation mechanism between the United States and the Lower Mekong
countries to cope with the development
challenges through six pillars of cooperation in agriculture and food security, connectivity, education, energy security,
environment, water and health. Joint Declaration of the Conference announced a new partnership
program LMI in the next 5 years,
which focuses on the deployment of six key projects including
the Mekong Connected, Intelligent Infrastructure for the Mekong, connecting
through education and training, communication
skills training for leadership, Entrepreneurship center for women and
prevention of infectious diseases.
Ministers agreed to continue
policy dialogue related to sustainable regional
development, while enhancing coordination and collaboration
with the Initiative of ASEAN Integration
(IAI). The conference officially launched the Eminent Expert Persons
Group (EEPG) which is responsible
for researching and recommending
measures to promote the sustainable
development of the Mekong Basin,
reporting to the senior officials
and the Ministries of head of LMI.
FLM Conference agreed to strengthen regional cooperation and connection, sustainable management of water resources
and environmental protection of the Mekong basin. The
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to
building partnerships at all levels of local, transnational, regional and across continents to effectively
respond to the challenges and
development issues of water in the Mekong region. The
conference affirmed the priority
of processing challenges in ensuring water
security, energy and food into growth opportunities and sustainable development for the whole sub-regions. Many development partners within and outside the
region such as the EU, Australia, WB, ADB… committed to continue supporting for the Mekong countries in the sustainable
management of water resources, building
intelligent infrastructure, clean energy, agriculture, climate change adaptation, environmental impact assessment... The EU decide to
triple aid for the Mekong countries over
the period 2014-2020. The
conference agreed to hold a special FLM meeting at
the vice-ministerial level on
sustainable development in Laos
in late 2014 or
early 2015.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed
that Vietnam
attaches special importance and priority of efforts for sustainable development and efficient use of water
resources of the Mekong
River in the context of climate change fiercely and
look forward to continuing close
collaboration with the Mekong countries and
development partners in this effort. Deputy
Prime Minister proposed to
further strengthen cooperation and
dialogue in the framework of LMI and FLM, primarily to support the development of socio-economic, enhancing connectivity, narrowing the development gap with ASEAN
and supporting international
Mekong River Commission to enhance research capacity and forecast the impact of dams on the Mekong mainstream.
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All comments [ 10 ]
The mighty Mekong, tenth largest river in the world, faces conflicting pressures for developing its floodplains and harnessing its powerful flow,
The river basin countries recognize the risks posed by hydropower development, but seem to be caught between two difficult positions.
The need for open decision making is critical to finding convergence between proponents and opponents of power projects, wherever they arise.
Turbulence characterizes the river's upper portions, but the lower Mekong is more placid, and annual flooding supports a biologically diverse ecosystem.
Agriculture is the primary economic activity along the river, complemented by fish production, transportation and electricity generation.
Hydropower development has long been a critical issue for the people, planners and government officials of the Mekong's riparian countries, but the approach has changed over time.
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed an Agreement on Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin in April 1995. It provides that signatories shall "cooperate in all fields of sustainable development, utilization, management and conservation of the waters and related resources of the Mekong River Basin, including but not limited to irrigation, hydropower, navigation, flood control . . . and to minimize the harmful effects that might result." These include inundation of large areas of agricultural lands and displacement of established populations, causing additional economic and cultural losses to this already endangered region.
The rationale for hydropower stems from Asia's rapidly growing energy demand, which is doubling every 12 years. Yet, each country has its own unique concerns.
Vietnam is most concerned about the impacts of its upstream neighbors' actions on the river's flow through its land on the way to the sea.
Agriculture would be affected if the dams reduced or eliminated the nutrient-rich silts deposited by floodwaters, and the remaining floodplain soils would be threatened by salinization if reservoirs caused underground salt deposits to dissolve and leach to the surface.
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