Description

The meeting has approved several strategic documents encouraging the balance between economic development and environmental protection in the Mekong River Basin. Examples of major documents approved include the next Basin Development Strategy 2021–2030 and the MRC Strategic Plan 2021–2025. With these, the role of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is changing from cooperation for knowledge acquisition and sharing towards comprehensive cooperation on water resources development and management across the entire Mekong River Basin. Additionally, the Council also adopted an environmental management strategy “Mekong Strategy for Basin-wide Environmental Management of Environmental Assets of Regional Importance 2021–2025” which aims to restore, protect, and manage environmental assets of regional importance in the whole Lower Mekong Basin. Besides, a navigation master plan was also approved which allows the MRC to improve navigation rules, attract investment, and realize the potential of regional trade.

Source & further information: “The Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council and Joint Meeting with the Twenty-Fifth Development Partner Consultative Group” at http://www9.monre.gov.vn, accessed on 10 Dec 2020.