December 5 and 7 2017, the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center (LMWRCC) organized the Seminar of Water and Food Security in Beijing.
It invited representatives from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand under the support of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) China Region and the Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia Region (GWP SEA).
Addressed by Mr. Zhiguang LIU, Director General of the International Cooperation, Science and Technology, Ministry of Water Resources of China (MWR), he opened the Session on 5 December 2017. He brought warm greetings of Minister Chen Lei to the national delegations. Along with the related countries, the experts and decision-makers from Bangladesh and relevant international organizations also joined the event. The speakers, panel members, and audiences exchanged their viewpoints on optimization of river basin governance, water and food security practical stories and methods of achieving the UN Agenda 2030.
On behalf of GWP, Dr. Yumiko Yasuda, Senior Network Officer; Dr. Watt Botkosal, Member of the Mekong River Commission and Regional Chair of GWP SEA; Dr. Zaw Lwin Tun, Chair of Myanmar Water Partnership; Prof. Yunzhong Jiang, Regional Coordinator of GWP China, participated the Seminar. They were invited to present nation-based lessons and potential benefits from transboundary river collaboration.
As Dr. Watt raised, “the cooperation between the related countries is my primary motive to promote the transboundary river coordination. Working in the Mekong River Commission for 20 years, I have always expected a group dialogue to integrate China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. And fortunately, I witness it comes to reality. We will build up a harmonious and friendly cooperation for water sharing, learning and benefiting each other.”
Preceded the Session, on December 4, a warm-up session was set up between LMWRCC and GWP in the Beijing office of the Center. Dr. ZHONG Yong, Secretary General of the Center—LMWRCC, delivered a warm welcome to the guests from GWPO, GWP SEA Region, and GWP China Region.
The meeting resulted in concrete plans that would help accelerate the Lancang-Mekong cooperation progress. The Center has committed to be a servant to each member nation. The strengths of GWP network could play a critical role in the implementation of transboundary water cooperation process.
GWP China and GWP SEA will facilitate all river countries to identify the national water development priority which would be a crucial element in the Five-Year Strategy of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Development. The Strategy, drafted by the Center and reviewed by the national focal points through the network of GWP.
Under the mission of “share river, share future,” the LMWRCC-GWP collaboration will efficiently work on implementing IWRM, information sharing, and knowledge exchange, energy and economic development, and poverty relief in the Lancang-Mekong river basin countries. Based upon the concrete outcomes, it also expects to strengthen the effect of consolidating ASEAN progress, and further to enable more nations for interregional sustainable development that would result with comprehensive and stable cooperation upon mutual understanding.