Switzerland has started its support to the MRC since the signing of the 1995 Mekong Agreement.

The Lower Mekong Basin provides water, fish and soil nutrients for over 60 million people in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Its fresh-water fisheries are the biggest in the world and provide between 50 and 80% of all animal protein consumed by its people. There are major developments currently threatening the sustainable use of the basin’s water resources, such as hydropower projects, industrial agriculture, logging and mining that are all having an impact on the quantity, quality and pulse of the Mekong’s water flow.

Transboundary water governance is one of the major development challenges in the Mekong region. The Swiss government believes in the value and potential of MRC as a platform for regional cooperation and consensus-building. It also believes that MRC’s ongoing strategic and institutional reform processes will strengthen its profile as the regional platform for water diplomacy and result in the MRC becoming a more efficient and effective organisation.

“Increasing political and financial ownership by the Member Countries, streamlining Development Partners’ support through the multi-donor basket fund, and enhancing dialogue and engagement with a wider range of partners and stakeholders are all important steps towards improved decision-making by policy makers, national agencies and project developers”, said Mr. Enderlin.

He also highlighted that Switzerland will be taking over as Chair of the Development Partners Coordination Group from September onwards. These various Swiss contributions will help the MRC to maintain or even increase the MRC’s relevance and influence as the only established mechanism and platform to discuss and reach consensus on the challenges surrounding Integrated Water Resources Management in the Lower Mekong Basin.