Vietnam holds the Chair of Mekong River Commission Council for 2026

On November 26, the 32nd Meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council was held in Thailand, chaired by the Thai Minister of Culture. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung led the Vietnamese delegation, joined by representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and the Viet Nam National Mekong Committee.

At the meeting, the MRC Council adopted the Commission’s Strategic Plan for 2026 - 2030 and reached agreement on the strategic priority directions to be included in the Joint Declaration of the 5th MRC Summit.

Specifically, the strategic activities for the next five years will focus on key priorities: enhancing initiatives that bring direct benefits to riverine communities with a people-centered approach; and promoting transboundary projects that generate shared benefits for all countries in the basin.

In addition, the priorities include improving the sharing of planning and operational data; developing coordinated operational procedures for major water infrastructure; strengthening the application of modern technologies to ensure essential services for member countries and riverine populations, especially disaster forecasting, early warning, and emergency response; and enhancing institutional capacity for both the MRC and member countries. The Council also emphasized strengthening cooperation with the Dialogue Partners including commission partners China and Myanmar as well as with the MRC's development partners.

The 33rd Council Meeting is expected to be held in Vietnam at the end of 2026. Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung, on behalf of Vietnam, received the handover of the MRC Council Chairmanship for the 2026 term from Thailand and congratulated Thailand for successfully completing its 2025 Chairmanship.

Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung highly appreciated the important progress made by the Commission in the sustainable management of water resources, including increased transparency in data sharing, especially near-real-time hydropower operational data, which has marked a milestone demonstrating trusted cooperation among the member countries. He said that strengthened forecasting, early-warning systems, and hydrological and environmental monitoring have significantly contributed to disaster-risk reduction in the member states.

He also pointed out that the Mekong Basin and the Mekong Delta continue to suffer severe impacts from drought, salinity intrusion, sediment depletion, land subsidence, and riverbank and coastal erosion, all of which directly affect the livelihoods of millions of people.

Referring to the arsenic pollution incident on the Kok river that spread to the Mekong mainstream near the Thailand - Laos border, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung emphasized that this serves as a strong reminder that even a small risk at one point in the basin can trigger systemic effects. This requires strengthened monitoring, data sharing, and coordinated responses to transboundary incidents.

To implement cooperation activities in the coming period, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung proposed strategic directions including: strengthening the monitoring and surveillance of water quantity and quality across the entire basin, with priority given to deploying near-real-time data systems; establishing early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms when unusual developments occur; improving disaster forecasting and warning capacities; applying advanced technology; and sharing harmonized hydrological data to minimize the impacts of floods, droughts, and climate change for each country and for the entire basin.

In addition, basin-wide hydropower data and sediment-management systems should be strengthened, and early pilot implementation of a shared sediment-management model should be carried out to harmonize hydropower generation, flood prevention, and sediment flow maintenance. Ensuring sustainable financial autonomy for the Commission, building a stable financial mechanism through contributions from member countries, support from development partners, and mobilization of resources from global climate funds, was also emphasized. Vietnam proposed promoting joint transboundary projects, prioritizing green growth programs, circular economy practices, water saving initiatives, and emission reduction, contributing to national goals and commitments ahead of COP30.

The Development Partners and Dialogue Partners attending the meeting commended the Commission’s efforts in implementing its strategic priorities and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the successful realization of the 2026 - 2030 Strategic Plan.