Mekong River Commission expands cooperation and shapes a new strategy

On September 29-30 in Vientiane (Laos), the Mekong River Commission held its 29th Dialogue Partner Meeting (with China and Myanmar) and the 60th Meeting of the Joint Committee.

The meetings were chaired by the Lao member of the Joint Committee, who will serve as Chair of the Committee in 2025, with the participation of representatives from the four member countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam), the Dialogue Partners, and the MRC Secretariat.

The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Linh, Chief of Office of the Vietnam Mekong Committee and Member of the Joint Committee, and included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Standing Office of the Vietnam Mekong Committee.

Deliberations on the 2026 - 2030 Development Strategy

During the Joint Committee Meeting, the member countries officially endorsed the draft Strategic Plan of the Mekong River Commission for the 2026 - 2030 period. The draft outlines five overarching priorities: (i) continued implementation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement and the Procedures for Water Use; (ii) enhancement of monitoring systems, forecasting capacity, and decision-support tools; (iii) closer coordination in basin-wide operation and management of water infrastructure; (iv) expanded cooperation with upstream countries, development partners, and other stakeholders; and (v) promotion of cross-border projects and initiatives that encourage greater participation from local communities.

In addition, the participants discussed preparations for the 5th MRC Summit, which is scheduled to take place in April 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. The draft Joint Declaration of the Summit has already been agreed upon by the parties and will be submitted to the MRC Council for consideration and formal approval at its meeting in November 2025.

Sharing operational data and disaster warning

A central topic of discussion at the meeting was the initiative to enhance the sharing of operational data from hydropower projects across the Mekong basin. The Secretariat presented its report on the implementation of Phase I of the plan, which has already introduced real-time data exchange at a number of key facilities.

The member states highly commended the progress made under Phase I and, at the same time, underscored the need to move forward with Phase II. They also recommended that the next stage should broaden the scope of cooperation by incorporating additional hydropower dams into the information-sharing network.

Representing Vietnam, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Linh, Chief of Office of the Vietnam Mekong Committee, underscored the importance of transparency and public access to information regarding the operation of water infrastructure. She emphasized that the Commission should give priority to developing a comprehensive early warning system for floods and droughts across the Mekong downstream. In addition, she called for stronger efforts in monitoring, forecasting, and the timely dissemination of disaster warnings to communities throughout the basin, thereby enhancing preparedness and resilience.

Strengthening cooperation with China and Myanmar

Within the framework of the Dialogue Partner Meeting, China and Myanmar provided updates on the status of water resources, environmental conditions, and ongoing development projects in the Lancang–Mekong basin, particularly in its upstream areas. The Secretariat also presented the progress of the Joint Study being conducted with China on changing hydrological conditions and adaptive strategies. Furthermore, several concrete cooperative activities were highlighted, including the establishment of dialogue mechanisms and data-sharing arrangements to improve joint responses to floods, droughts, and other emergency situations.

Tripartite cooperation continued to be strengthened through programs on data sharing, joint research, exchanges of experience in water resources management, capacity building, and training activities. Of particular significance, China reaffirmed its commitment to providing regular hydrological data from the Jinghong and Man’an stations to the downstream countries, while also expressing its interest in gaining access to data from selected hydrological stations operated by the MRC member states.

All parties underlined the essential role of dialogue-based cooperation in promoting mutual trust and joint action. They also reached consensus on holding a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of cooperation between the Mekong River Commission and China and Myanmar, which will take place in the third quarter of 2026 in Laos.