Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will lead a Vietnamese delegation to attend the third Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit in Siem Reap, Cambodia from April 4^th-5^th.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. (Photo: NDO)

According to an announcement from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on April 1, the PM’s attendance will come at the invitation of his Cambodian counterpart, Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

The MRC is an intergovernmental organisation that works with the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam to manage the shared water and related resources of the Mekong River for the sustainable development of the Mekong region. It is founded by the Mekong Agreement of 1995, building on previous cooperation through the Mekong Committee established in 1957.

Hence with more than 60 years of experience, the MRC serves today as a unique platform for water diplomacy and regional cooperation in which Member Countries share the benefits of common water resources. It also acts as a regional knowledge hub on water resources management that helps to inform decision-making processes based on scientific evidence. Overall, the MRC is an established organisation with a clear mandate, procedures, strategies, guidelines and knowledge products that help ensures the Mekong is utilised for the countries’ benefits and the peoples’ well-beings.

The MRC Summit is convened every four years, bringing together political leaders to address the prevailing challenges and opportunities facing the Mekong Basin. It is an opportunity for the Heads of Governments of the four MRC Member Countries to revisit the commitments made four years earlier, and agree on strategies for the future and beyond.

Two summits have been held to date – the first in 2010, hosted by Thailand in Hua Hin, and the second in 2014, hosted by Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Ministerial representatives from MRC Dialogue Partners, China and Myanmar, participated in both Summits.

The third Summit, which focuses on the theme ‘Enhancing Joint Efforts and Partnerships towards Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in the Mekong River Basin‘, will be hosted by the Kingdom of Cambodia and held on April 5^th following a preparatory Ministerial Meeting on April 4^th and an International Conference of stakeholders on April 2^nd-3^rd. The venue for all events is the Sokha Siem Reap Resort and Convention Centre, Siem Reap, Cambodia./.

VNF