The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Joint Committee endorsed ad-referendum the 10-year Basin Development Strategy. The Strategy aims to guide Mekong River Basin stakeholders in addressing environmental, social, and economic issues arising from climate change, water resource development projects, and population increase. Its endorsement paves the way for a final consideration and approval by the MRC’s council of ministers. 

The proposed Strategy will work on key issues identified by the State of the Basin Report 2018, and set out the way for countries to jointly address these issues in order to promote the sustainable development of the basin, in line with the aims and intent of the 1995 Mekong Agreement.  

The Strategy’s five strategic priorities are to (i) maintain the ecological function of the Mekong River Basin; (ii) enable inclusive access and utilisation of the basin’s water and related resources; (iii) improve optimal and sustainable development of water and related sectors; (iv) strengthen resilience against disasters; and (v) boost cooperation among all basin countries and stakeholders.  

The MRC works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong River. Myanmar and the PRC are dialogue partners.