News and Activities

Bangkok, April 9, 2025 - Southeast Asia is facing increasing water-related challenges as climate change intensifies. To address these risks, a regional workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand from 8 – 9 April 2025, brought together experts and leaders from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and beyond to strengthen water and drought risk management under a flagship Climate Risk & Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative.

Jakarta, January 30, 2025 – The Center for Hydrology and Water Environment, Ministry of Public Works Indonesia, hosted an international webinar titled “Water Can’t Wait: Accelerating the Adoption of Innovations in the Water, Energy, and Food Security Nexus.” The hybrid event drew around 900 participants, both online and in person, including leading experts and policymakers.

Water, vital for sustaining life, is becoming increasingly scarce as global demand has surged tenfold over the past century. In Southeast Asia, ASEAN countries share 19 transboundary water resources, including surface and groundwater, most of which are managed bilaterally. The Mekong River Commission (MRC), formed by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, aims to promote sustainable development, management, and conservation of the Mekong Basin. Despite growing cooperation, challenges remain, such as the lack of legal frameworks for managing shared aquifers and the absence of cooperation mechanisms beyond the Mekong region. Water diplomacy provides a vital approach, offering strategies to address disputes and foster joint water governance through political processes that extend beyond traditional water agreements.

In 2017 and 2020, the SDG 6.5.1 Survey Reporting was conducted, and a post-Survey Assessment of the results was carried out in 2021. One of the challenges in IWRM implementation identified through the assessment was the lack of IWRM understanding among various government stakeholders, as well as the private sector.

We are now getting closer to 2024 and now we reflect with gratitude on the incredible achievements and collaboration we’ve shared this year. Your unwavering commitment and partnership have been instrumental in advancing our mission and making a meaningful impact.

Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP SEA) was invited by WMO Regional Office Asia to attend The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) – WMO Regional Forum held in Singapore 4-6 September 2024.

From 30 September to 2 October 2024, Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP SEA), represented by our Interim Regional Coordinator, Mrs Louise Desrainy Maryonoputri, received a sponsorship to participate in the Drought Resilience +10 Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, at the WMO Headquarters.

In early 2023 the Malaysian Economic Planning Unit, under the Prime Minister's Department, released the Water Sector Transformation 2040 document (WST2040), as the strategic agenda for the water sector.

As part of the Asia-Pacific Water Scarcity Programme (WSP), the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convened the second National Multidisciplinary Team (NMT) Meeting online on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. Seventy-six members from various ministries and organizations participated in the webinar to review the progress of the WSP and discuss the updated framework for the Water Scarcity Action Plan (WSAP).

On May 31, 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Lao PDR, represented by the CREWS Project's Focal Point, and GWP SEA, through the GWP Lao PDR, held a Hybrid Kick-off Meeting on the Development of Drought Management and IWRM Action Plan at the Vientiane Plaza Hotel in Lao PDR.