Australia`s Mekong Water Resources Program

Mekong River in Northern Laos Credit to: Global Water Forum
Australia’s Mekong Water Resources Program
Stories from the program, Issue 2 June 2015
Australia’s engagement in Mekong Water
Governance
Australia has been supporting Mekong societies manage their water
resources since the 1990s. Australia’s Mekong Water Resources
Program 2014–2018 is five-year program that aims to strengthen
water governance across the Mekong Region. Effective water
resources management is critical to water, food and energy security
in the region. It is also central to economic development and local
livelihoods.
Australia’s Mekong Water Program focusses on strengthening the
four main actors important to regional water governance:
governments and regional institutions, the private sector, civil society
and local researchers. It also seeks to encourage their continued and
constructive engagement on the region’s large-scale water
challenges. The overarching challenge is to meet the region’s growing
demand for food, energy and water through use of its abundant
resources, while minimising social and environmental consequences.
The program covers the Mekong River flowing through China,
Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It also supports
work on some of the other major rivers of the region, including the
Irrawaddy, Salween, Chao Phraya, Nam Ou and Red rivers.
As part of our new program, DFAT will share stories from across
program activities every six months through this newsletter.
Mekong River facts
 The Mekong River flows for 4800 kms through six
countries (China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and
Vietnam). The Mekong River is called the Lancang River in
China.
 An estimated 40 million people, or 66 per cent of the
Lower Mekong Basin population, is involved in fisheries
activities. The yield of wild fish and aquatic animals is
estimated at about 2.3 million tonnes per year, with the
total value between $3.7–$7 billion a year.
 There are 77 new dams planned across the Mekong River
Basin, including 11 on the mainstream Mekong.
Effective water governance
Program outcome: Strengthen the institutional frameworks
and capacity of regional, national and local actors to manage
their resources more effectively.
Regional level
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) remains the sole
intergovernmental body focussed on regional cooperation for the
development of the water and water-related resources of the
Mekong River Basin, shared by six countries. Given the scale of
planned investment and its importance to food production, power
generation and local livelihoods, supporting the MRC remains
important for the pursuit of sustainable development and the
maintenance of regional stability. It is vita cog in cross-border
consultation on an important regional treasure - the Mekong River
and its tributaries.
National level
DFAT’s interventions seek to plug critical resource gaps and improve
institutional arrangements in each of the Mekong countries, such as
river basin organisations in Laos. Australia partners with the
Government of Cambodia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to
progress a suite of Cambodian water resources reforms. Funding
supports reforms of institutions and policies, capacity building to
improve Cambodian water governance, rehabilitation of small- to
medium-scale irrigation systems, and delivery of irrigation services
within the Tonle Sap basin (a sub-basin of the Mekong basin).
Australia partners with the Government of Laos, ADB and World Bank
in separate activities to support Lao water resources policy (with the
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National
University of Laos), and hydropower governance reforms and capacity
building (with the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the national
university and polytechnic institutes). In Vietnam, DFAT is co-funding
a 30 month study (commenced September 2013) with the
Government of Vietnam on the impacts of Mekong River mainstream
construction on the Mekong Delta.
Integrated Water Resources Management is now
ready to enter academia in Laos
After years of preparation and commitment, National University of
Laos (NUoL) has proudly welcomed its brand-new multidisciplinary program that will produce quality young Lao
professionals with strong integrated water resource-related skills.
At the beginning of 2015, the Ministry of Education and Sport
officially approved and endorsed the establishment of the new
Faculty of Water Resources for the National University of Laos,
located at the Tad-Thong Campus in Vientiane Capital. With
continued support from the Australian Government and Asian
Development Bank Technical Assistance (ADB-TA) Project since
2008, the undergraduate-level Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM) Curriculum has been developed and
launched by the Department of Water Resource Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering. By the end of 2014, this had produced
more than 140 graduates ready to enter their careers in the water
industry.
decision makers, impacted communities, private sector and researchers. This training has been jointly prepared and supported by
the Faculty of Water Resources, the Australian Government, DWR,
NREI, The Asia Foundation, World Bank-IWRM Support Project, and
Rajamangala University of Technology Isan-Thailand.
To initiate the launch of the Faculty of Water Resources, the IWRM
Library Center was built and opened for the benefit of student and
the general public at its Thad-Thong Campus in August 2014. A
team of professors from the Faculty also conducted a ‘National
Road Tour’ in December 2014, giving Seminars to final-year high
school students across the country to promote the Water Resources Faculty. The Seminars were carried out at 15 high schools
in five provinces: Champasak, Savannakhet, Khammoune, Luang
Prabang, Xingkouang.
With major improvements of the IWRM Curriculum made in 2012
through the support of the Lao National IWRM Support Project,
the new Faculty of Water Resources now hosts five major
professional program fields, three of them focusing on IWRM and
the other two on irrigation. These five program fields are:
1. Hydrology
2. Water Resources Management
3. Water and Engineering
4. Irrigation Management
5. Irrigation Engineering
In line with the changing needs of the country, including growing
demand for water professionals, the Faculty of Water Resources
also plans to include another two key water program fields on the
topics of “Ground Water Management” and “Water Governance”.
To validate this decision, the Faculty team has conducted
extensive surveys, and engaged key stakeholders and academic
institutions in Laos and in the Mekong Region, such as the Natural
Resources and Environment Institute (NREI), Lao Department of
Water Resources (DWR), Khon Kaen University-Thailand, Water
Resources University-Viet Nam, and the International Water
Management Institute (IWMI). This has also included initiating onthe-job training and multi-disciplinary research in order to gear up
for the human resource needs within the Faculty.
A Feasibility Study for a new Ground Water Research Center and
Ground Water Training Program is also being prepared by the
Faculty team. The Feasibility Study and Training Program will
assess and identify the capacity needs of the Faculty of Water
Resources, and demand for ground water management in Laos.
The Faculty is also setting up a professional research team,
consisting of 12 new graduates and specialized professors, to carry
out Collaborative Modeling (on-the-job) Research on Flood
Protection and Water Allocation in Xaybangfai River Basin. This onthe-job research is a multi-disciplinary module that aims to build
professional skill sets in technical hydrological modeling and
stakeholder participation for young Lao professionals and the
Faculty of Water Resources. The module is designed to feed into
the practical use of hydrological modeling as a planning and
stakeholder participation/facilitation tool, especially between
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Water Resources Faculty, NUOL Road Tour, Savannakhet, Laos
Photo by: Faculty of Water Resources, NUOL
Almost 1,200 students attended these seminars, with active participation and overwhelmingly positive responses. The seminars introduced and exchanged information by the Faculty on its course outlines, requirements and the need for water professionals in Laos.
They also provide extensive guidance on professional careers in the
water field and potential scholarship opportunities.
The depth and breadth of activities and initiatives underway or in
planning by the Faculty of Water Resources demonstrate its readiness and commitment to advance education and capacity building
efforts in IWRM, to meet Laos’ future needs. http://www.fenuol.edu.la/index.php/departments/water-resources-engineering
Accountable Water Governance
Program outcome: Raising the accountability of
government and the private sector; normalising
better standards for water investments; and more
transparent decision-making.
DFAT is partnering with the International Finance Corporation
(IFC), Mekong governments and the private sector to increase
accountability and transparency in regional water governance,
focussing on the following areas:
 Improved hydropower regulation that emphasises strong social
and environmental standards.
 Strengthened capacity in practical environmental/social
standards, and risk management for government agencies.
Australia’s Mekong Water Resources Program
 Adoption of best practice environmental and social standards by
Asian banks investing in hydropower development in the
Mekong Region, to influence the way they assess their
hydropower investments.
Key activities with the Government of Laos include: developing and
implementing a new Water Law, implementing the new Policy for
Sustainable Hydropower, working with the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment to strengthen the existing Concession
Agreement annex focused on environmental and social obligations;
and providing training to officials in charge of hydropower
development and management.
“We present to the government what we feel is feasible and suggest
areas of policy that need improvement,” said Allen. “We hope our
input will encourage a dialogue between developers and the government, leading to improvement in the hydropower sector”
http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/Lao_EXT_Content/
Sustainable_HydroPower/Sustainability_HydroPower
A Hydropower Developers’ Working Group That Works
Since its inception 15 months ago, the Hydropower Developers’
Working Group in Laos has been described as a success by its members and there are now plans to start similar organisation in Myanmar.
In mid-2013, Kate Lazarus, Senior Operations Officer for IFC’s Mekong Sustainable Hydropower program, pitched the idea of a working group to hydropower developers who investing in Laos. The goal
is for the private sector to have a collective voice to influence policies that impact the sustainability of the hydropower sector, to gain
exposure to good international industry practices and to network
with other companies. Together, IFC and key developers established
the Lao Hydropower Developers’ Working Group in December 2013.
“In our region, access to information is limited: networks are lifesupport,” said Remi Berthet, Director of Velcan Energy’s Lao office,
and a member of the working group. “The working group gives us a
chance every few months to catch up on what others are doing. It’s
a valuable social enterprise.”
Today, the working group has more than 100 members from around
the Mekong region. Its quarterly business meetings and seminars
enable developers, suppliers, and vendors to discuss pressing issues
in the sector.
“This is a working group that works offers something new and addresses its members’ interests,” said Robert Allen, General Manager
of Vientiane-based Theun Hinboun Hydropower Co., and Chairman
of the working group. “Setting up a working group in Myanmar a
logical next step”
To drive the group’s momentum, IFC communicates with members
through regular e-newsletters. Members can also share information
and documents confidentially via a group email address and a cloudbased group file-sharing account. “We try to take a lead as the
group’s trendsetter. Our role is to be on top of the latest issues in
the sector, and provide developers with the opportunity to interact
with government, financiers, and experts on environmental and
social standards,” said Lazarus. “This includes the latest on laws and
policies, regional news, and project information.”
At the group’s quarterly business meetings, IFC demonstrates to
developers the business case for environmental and social sustainability. Throughout the past year, the developers prioritised issues
they wanted to focus on, and attended seminars on social and environmental obligations, project financing and opportunities with Lao
banks, the fiscal regime (focused on taxes and royalties), and IFC’s
Performance Standards. The working group also set up a subcommittee to specifically tackle issues that affect small-hydropower
and provide policy feedback to the government.
Hydropower Developer Working Group Meeting in Vientiane, Laos
Photo by: International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Informed Water Governance
Program outcome: Improving the availability and influence
of research to improve water resources management and
water investment decision-making.
Australia’s investments in this area target research to inform
decision-makers, and support to lift the capacity of local
institutions to provide the evidence-base for development of the
region’s rivers. Australia’s major investment is through the Water,
Land and Ecosystems’ (WLE) Greater Mekong Program. This
program funds local and regional partners to undertake water
governance research, professional development of regional water
governance practitioners, and multi-stakeholder dialogues on
regional water resources topics.
The WLE Greater Mekong program focuses on three areas:
 Building knowledge about regional rivers, their ecosystems,
value and governance.
 Fresh and evidence-based approaches for governing rivers and
monitoring their health.
 Forging partnerships to strengthen learning and the exchange of
information within and across governments, and with the
academics, civil society and the private sector.
Myanmar: Inception Meeting on Salween and Irrawaddy River Basins
To kick-off the six new projects that WLE has launched in the Salween
and Irrawaddy River Basins, an Inception Meeting was held in Yangon
on 19 March 2015. Although the program has over 10 years of experience working across the Mekong Region this is the first time it has
officially funded Myanmar specific projects.
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Relevant stakeholders from the public and private sectors were
invited to interface with the program and project representatives, to
ask questions, and to make recommendations given their unique
experiences in Myanmar.
Over 50 people participated, with representation from Burmese
government ministries, private sector companies, academia, NGOs,
and other civil society groups. Including the WLE Greater Mekong
project partners, over 40 institutions were represented at the
meeting.
SweSwe Aye, Chairperson of the Ayeyarwaddy River Basin Research
Organization (ARBRO), kicked off the meeting by greeting all of the
guests and welcoming them to the workshop. “Recognizing that
Myanmar is a country with staggering water resources and large
development demands, we welcome this opportunity to collaborate
with colleagues and practitioners from the Mekong Region and internationally to discover new solutions that will strengthen Myanmar’s development processes in environmentally and socially acceptable ways,” she said. “I look forward to participating in our discussions this morning, and to learning about the WLE and its work
in Myanmar and the Mekong Region.”
After a brief introduction of the program by Dr. Kim Geheb, the WLE
Regional Coordinator in the Greater Mekong, the participants broke
into smaller groups and had an opportunity to talk to representatives from each of the six projects. The discussion was lively, given
the great diversity of expertise and backgrounds. The projects
gained useful insight into the issues most pertinent for the communities and organizations living and working in the Salween and Irrawaddy basins. There was a great deal of learning and sharing both
sides, with opportunities for further collaboration developing from
short but intense conversations.
Inception Meeting on Salween and Irrawaddy River Basins
Photo by: CGIAR on Water, Land and Ecosystem
“This workshop reassured me that our R4D model will work in Myanmar,” said Dr. Geheb. “I was reassured because of the dynamism
of the dialogue that took place organically, and because of the
diffuse nature of the participants who partook in this dialogue. If we
can bring so many stakeholders together for the Inception Meeting,
we are in good shape going forward.”
All four of the WLE-GM fellowship programs put out their calls for
applications in April and May. For more information, please visit:
Fellowship in the Mekong and Salween: http://wlemekong.cgiar.org/fellowship-opportunities-for-the-salween-andmekong-river-basins/
Inclusive Water Governance
Program outcome: DFAT is partnering with Oxfam Australia
to support civil society input into water planning and
decision-making, focussing on:
 Increasing civil society participation and engagement in water
resource governance, with a focus on women.
 Strengthening community-based management of water
resources.
Oxfam Inclusion Project’s Gender Champion
When Sary meets Polin - a story of life, inspiration & experiences
unfolded
Polin is a gender officer for My Village (MVi) and Sary is a gender
officer for North Eastern Rural Cambodia (NRD) - both are young women leaders who speak for change in gender and power dynamics in
community fisheries management. Both NGOs are supported by the
Inclusion Project, a DFAT-funded project to promote gender inclusiveness in water resources management in the Mekong region. When
Sary and Polin met at the recent Gender Action Planning (GAP) Workshop held by Oxfam in March 2015, both shared and compared their
community fisheries work in Stung Treng and Kratie province, and the
management of common gender issues.
Sary and Polin (Gender Officers for My Village), Cambodia
Photo by: Oxfam Australia
Polin shared the story: “We have a number of challenges in Bong Srey
getting both men and women to participate in community fisheries
management, planning and related activities. One of the challenges is
getting husbands to understand why women participate in the
meeting. Some of the women are respected by other villagers to be
their representatives in the community fisheries committee, such as
Head of the ComFish Committee. But at home those women are treated differently, due to the roles they are expected to play at household
level like taking care of children, or get food ready on the table when
their husband comes home”.
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The GAP workshop stimulated discussions around gender issues and
strategies to address these issues. Forum Theatre was used during the
workshop to demonstrate the gender issues in the community fisheries context in northeast Cambodia. The use of Forum Theatre highlighted lesser-known problems and helped participants envisage how
they might address those. “When the issues are demonstrated
through the Play, we pause the play and ask other participants what
we can do differently and what actions may be needed to change
those difficult situations.” Sary (NRD) said. Issues identified were then
reflected in gender action plans (GAPs) to record the commitment by
both NGOs and communities to take action.
DFAT actively engages in policy dialogue to support our implementing
partners’ efforts to reach agreed strategic outcomes. For example,
supporting structured dialogue between civil society, the private sector,
academia and governments on priority topics, such as:
 Encouraging greater disclosure of information by governments,
developers and MRC to inform stakeholders engaging in consultation
processes.
 Working with government to advance regulatory improvements in
irrigation, hydropower, mining and river basin management.
 Mainstreaming gender in regional water governance, particularly
institutional strengthening, capacity building and public participation.
Through a participatory process facilitated by Oxfam, these plans identified strategies, commitment, and budget provisions agreed by both
NGOs and communities engaging in community fisheries. This will help
to promote greater women’s inclusion and enhance women’s skills as
they become involved in project and community activities. The process is an important step to ensure greater involvement of women in
community fisheries work. As one participant remarked, “Women
have the right to pursue leadership at the community level. I am a
head of the community fishery group and I am proud to be elected.
We, alongside other women and men, shall try to understand and
respect each other’s roles in both communities and society.”
https://www.oxfam.org.au/explore/infrastructure-people-andenvironment/save-the-mekong/mekonginclusion/
Policy Dialogue
First Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy
Photo by: Challenge Program on Water and Food
Program outcome: Policy dialogue is a central function of our program to
support the scale of outcomes we seek from our investments. Each of the
DFAT Mekong Water Resources Program’s implementing partners have
policy dialogue expertise, augmented by DFAT’s own team and national/
regional connections.
W a t e r, F o o d a n d E n e r g y N e x u s
For information about Australia’s Mekong Water Resources Program
Please contact: Australian Embassy, Vientiane, Lao PDR
Email: MekongWater.Program@dfat.gov.au
http://aid.dfat.gov.au/countries/eastasia/regional/Pages/
home.aspx#water
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