Hua Hin Hosts First Mekong River Summit
Thailand's Royal Resort City will serve as the venue for the first Mekong River Summit, to be held from April 2-5, 2010.The conference marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and will seek to consolidate the commitment of the member countries towards the preservation of the region's most important river basin. The event seeks to bring together political leaders, development partners, officials from the People’s Republic of China and the Union of Myanmar, along with water resource experts in a bid to fortify regional cooperation.
The Summit in Hua Hin will also set the stage for the discussion of current threats faced by the Mekong Basin, including the phenomenon of climate change.
A range of possible opportunities will be tackled as well along with a review of the Millenium Development Goals as agreed upon by the member countries. The three-day event also seeks to address key factors in water resource management, which include food and energy production, biodiversity, as well as the role of livelihood in the alleviation of poverty in the region.
Preceding the 1st Mekong River Summit would be a two-day conference with the theme, “Transboundary Water Resources Management in a Changing World”, which serves as preliminary discussion with key resource persons along with regional partners as participants.
The Mekong River Basin encompasses all the bodies of water flowing into the Mekong River, including parts of China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established in 1995 through an agreement between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam as well as the governments situated by the Lower Mekong Basin.