The Mekong River Commission continues to strengthen cooperation to respond to natural disasters and adapt to climate change

Attending the Meeting were representatives of the member countries of the Commission, namely Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Viet Nam; Development Partners and Dialogue Partners of the Commission, and representatives of international organizations in the region. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Minh Ngan.

At the Meeting, the MRC Secretariat reported on the results of implementing a number of outstanding activities in 2024, such as completing the expansion and operation of the MRC's water resources monitoring network, ensuring the provision of accurate and continuous data for hydrological monitoring and forecasting; developing a Basin Adaptation Plan including solutions to reduce risks caused by natural disasters and enhance resilience to climate change; conducting a Joint Study between the MRC and the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center on changes in the hydrological regime of the Mekong River, proposing adaptation strategies; continuing to implement the MRC's Water Use Regulations, ensuring the equitable, reasonable and effective use and management of water resources throughout the basin.

Also at the Meeting, Deputy Minister Le Minh Ngan proposed a number of solutions that the Commission should focus on prioritizing implementation, specifically: Strengthening cooperation in sharing data on the operation of water-using works between countries to help enhance the ability to forecast, give early warnings and prepare for emergency situations due to natural disasters, while supporting the planning and coordination of sustainable water resource use in the Mekong River Basin; Improving forecasting and early warning capacity through developing an accurate and long-term hydrological forecasting system, providing timely information to member countries, especially in natural disaster situations such as storms, floods, droughts; Researching the application of new technologies in resource management and disaster response such as using artificial intelligence technology, big data analysis to forecast more accurately about hydrology and meteorology; using smart sensors to monitor hydrology, providing real-time data. 

Attending the Meeting, Development Partners and Dialogue Partners highly appreciated the Commission's efforts in implementing strategic priorities, and continued to affirm their commitment to supporting the Commission in implementing the 2021-2025 Strategic Plan and the 2021-2030 Basin Development Strategy, and were ready to accompany the Commission in the next strategic planning cycles.

The MRC Council Meeting is held annually to review the Commission's performance, provide strategic directions and prioritize regional cooperation. The 32^nd Council Meeting is scheduled to take place in Thailand in late 2025.