The 33rd Session of the Council of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is scheduled to be held in Vietnam at the end of 2026, with Vietnam acting as its chair.
At the 32nd Session of the MRC Council held on November 26, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Council approved the Commission's Strategic Plan for the 2026–2030 period and reached a consensus on strategic priorities to be included in the Joint Declaration of the 5th MRC Summit.
Specifically, the Commission's strategic activities over the next five years will focus on the following priorities: enhancing activities that deliver direct benefits to riparian communities, adopting a human-centric approach; and accelerating the implementation of transboundary projects that generate shared benefits for the nations within the basin.
Addressing the 32nd session, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung emphasized that the strengthening of forecasting, early warning systems, and hydrological and environmental monitoring has significantly supported disaster risk reduction efforts in member countries.
To implement cooperation activities in the coming time, the Deputy Minister proposed several strategic directions, including: Strengthening the monitoring and supervision of water quantity and quality across the entire basin, with priority given to deploying near-real-time data systems and establishing mechanisms for early warning and timely response to anomalies; and enhancing disaster forecasting and warning capabilities by applying advanced technologies and synchronizing hydrological data sharing to mitigate the impacts of floods, droughts, and climate change for each country and the entire basin.
Vietnam also proposed promoting joint transboundary projects, prioritizing programs focused on green growth, the circular economy, water conservation, and emission reduction, thereby contributing to the national goals of each country and the commitments made at the COP30 Conference.
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