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MWD – Progress report January-June 2011-08-10 MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES PHASE 2 (2010-2014) JANUARY-JUNE 2011 REPORT AUGUST 2011

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Page 1: MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES - International Union for … ·  · 2016-05-19MWD – Progress report January-June 2011-08-10 . MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES. PHASE 2 (2010-2014) JANUARY-JUNE 2011

MWD – Progress report January-June 2011-08-10

MEKONG WATER DIALOGUES

PHASE 2 (2010-2014) JANUARY-JUNE 2011 REPORT AUGUST 2011

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MWD – Progress Report January-June 2011 ii

Contents 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................1 2. Project Context .........................................................................................................2 3. Overall Progress towards Projec Results...............................................................2 4. 4 Project Management and Administration..............................................................

4.1. Staffing and Human Resource Management 4.2. Financial management 4.3. Monitoring and Evaluation

5. Status of Planned Activities......................................................................................7 6. Lessons Learned......................................................................................................14 7. Leverage and Sustainability.............................. .....................................................15

Annexes I List of NWG Members

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MWD – Progress Report January-June 2011 iii

Acronyms and Abbreviations ADB Asian Development Bank ARO Asia Regional Office AWP BMU BMZ

Annual Work Plan German Federal Ministry for Environment German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

CGH Country Group Head CR Country Representative CTA Chief Technical Advisor CV DOE GIZ

Curriculum vitae Department of Environment (Lao PDR) German International Cooperation

HR Human resources HRELP Head of Regional Environmental Law Programme IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources KW Knowledge management LFA Logical framework approach M&E MFA MWD NPC NWG

Monitoring & Evaluation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mekong Water Dialogues National Project Coordinator National Working Group

PC Programme Coordinator PSC Project Steering Committee PM Project Manager PR Procurement requisition QWP Quarterly Work Plan RAG Regional Advisory Group RPC RWWP SDC SENSA SNV

Regional Programme Coordination Regional Water and Wetlands Programme Swiss Development Cooperation Swedish Environment Secretariat for Asia Netherlands Development Organisation

TBWM Trans-boundary water management TOR Terms of Reference TWD Transboundary Water Dialogue VA Vacancy announcement WREA Water Resources and Environment Administration (Lao PDR)

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MWD – Progress Report January-June 2011 iv

Project Key Information Title Mekong Water Dialogues

Short Title MWD

Funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland

Project Number

Duration 2010-2014

Total Budget 2,210,000 Euro

Location Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam

Approach Track III

Geographic scope

Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam

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1. Introduction With international rivers covering half the land surface of the world across 145 nations and accommodating over 40 percent of the world population, trans-boundary water management has gained significant importance in the governance of water regimes across the globe.

Sustainable management of trans-boundary water regimes based on IWRM principles and appropriate governance arrangements (including river basin organisations) will greatly benefit the millions of people who are dependent on them for their livelihoods and well-being. Efforts to achieve this are currently on-going through talks between national governments and policymakers, and through sharing of information between research and policy institutions. It is envisaged however that developing a comprehensive knowledge base and the meaningful participation of civil society through multi-stakeholder dialogue processes will help to strengthen the understanding of issues and contribute to better management of natural resources. Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam share a number of trans-boundary river basins between them, including the Mekong River itself; the Xekong (Sekong) shared between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia; the Srepok and Sesan shared between Vietnam and Cambodia; and the Heuang River shared between Lao PDR and Thailand.

The wide range of livelihood and economic benefits provided by the environmental goods and services produced by various types of wetlands are starting to be recognised and understood in the Mekong Region. However, the governance arrangements for wetlands are for the most part not well developed, and these critically important ecosystems are often de-facto open access resources, subject to degradation by actions from many different sectors and competing economic interests. Wetlands policies, laws, strategies and action plans are for the most part missing or outdated, and institutional responsibilities for wetlands are often unclear. Yet at the same time there are examples of local (community) institutions managing wetlands in a transparent, accountable and participatory manner. Of the four countries, Thailand has the best developed wetlands governance, and has 12 Ramsar sites. Cambodia and Vietnam have only three each. The Lao government only designated its first two Ramsar sites in late 2010 (with significant support provided by MWD Phase I). Much more could be done for improving management of existing Ramsar sites, as well as designation of new sites throughout the Mekong Region.

Climate change scenarios for the Mekong regional generally suggest overall increased total amount of rainfall, but concentration of rainfall in a shorter period of time; a longer hotter dry season, more very hot days and fewer cool nights, increased frequency of storms and sea-level rise. The vast majority of the impacts felt by local people will be mediated one way or another through water, including floods, droughts, wave surges, erosion, as well as availability of water for irrigation, consumption, etc. It is therefore imperative that water governance and management in the Mekong region also takes into account the implications of climate change.

Project Approach The project is designed to develop a long term relationship between various stakeholder groups (government, civil society, research/academic and business) both within and between the countries, through case-study and dialogue processes. Activities will include dialogues between stakeholders on various issues and challenges in the governance and management of water and wetlands resources. The studies and discussions will contribute to the development of an improved regional knowledge base, evidence-based policy-making and support for other changes in governance arrangements that will lead to sustainable management of water and wetland resources, and ultimately to improving livelihoods and human and environmental health. The multi-stakeholder National Working Groups (NWGs) play a critical role in the project approach. In themselves they are a microcosm of what the project is trying to achieve on a grander scale in society at large, bringing together people with diverse interests, knowledge and experience for dialogue leading to better-informed decision-making. The NWG in each country, both as a group, and as individual members, through their own organisational positions and professional networks, provide on the one hand access to a wide range of inputs into to the MWD processes, and on the other hand a large number of options and avenues for spreading the learning and approaches from MWD. The NWGs provide a platform for discussion of issues, and deliberation of recommendations to be passed on to national policy and decision-making levels. As such, the NWGs represent a vital link between filed experience and policy reform.

Project Themes Discussions, dialogues and case study activities will broadly cover the following three themes:

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1. RBOs and IWRM approaches. 2. Wetlands governance and management. 3. Adaptation to impacts of climate change.

Project Funding and Management The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. It is being implemented in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam, and managed by IUCN Asia Regional Office (ARO), Bangkok, over a period of four and a quarter years (2010-2014). It is building on phase I of MWD that was implemented from 2008-2010.

2. Project Context An important change in context was the decision by the Prime Minister of Vietnam to request his Lao counterpart to delay a decision on the Xayaburi dam. The decisive meeting took place in April at the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Jakarta. Given the domestic momentum that had been building in opposition to the dam, the Prime Minister’s decision to intervene directly was not wholly unexpected. Nevertheless, the Vietnamese government’s support for a Moratorium on all Mekong mainstream hydropower development (including dams thet would be funded by Vietnamese interests) represents a remarkable decision by a government that has in practice (if not in rhetoric) has pursued a “grow now, clean up later” development strategy. Indeed, it represents the first time that the government has foregone short-term economic growth for long-term environmental and social benefits and this decision could mark a shift in policy toward a development policy that is less environmentally destructive.

An indication of the seriousness with which the government considered the dam was the request by the Vietnam Communist Party’s Communications and Propaganda Department to Dr. Dao Trong Tu, Vietnam MWD NWG Chair, for briefing notes on the likely impacts. Dr. Tu was able to respond quickly thanks in part to the peer reviewed literature on dam impacts that IUCN had circulated over the preceding six months that highlighted the risks that the dam poses to the viability of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s rice bowl and economic heartland. It has been hypothesized that the government was shocked by the public outcry over the decision to award a huge bauxite mining contract to a Chinese company and wanted to avoid a similar reaction. This is an example of the policy impact that MWD can have when it provides strong, evidence-based recommendations and amplifies its voice by working with and through other projects and institutions

Another important change was the sweeping election of

.

Yingluck Shinawatra of the populist Puea Thai Party as Thailand’s new prime minister. There is concern that her election may herald renewed support for large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly in the water and energy sectors. This could tip the balance in favour of the Xayaburi dam, the proposed water diversion from the Nam Ngum in Lao PDR to northeast Thailand and the associated “water grid” irrigation system in Thailand, as well as other “mega” projects.

At the national level, an important change in context in Vietnam was the decision not to proceed with the National Target Program (NTP) on Improving Effectiveness of Water Resources Use and Protection after 12 months of preparation. MWD’s IWRM focus will therefore shift toward influencing the Water Law that is under preparation. The reasons for this decision are unclear. It may relate to concerns over the government’s ability to commit the necessary funds to the NTP at a time of sharp financial retrenchment. The existing law was passed in 1998.

Although the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia does not directly impact MWD, it complicates the organization of regional meetings because of delays in issuing visas for Cambodians to travel to Thailand. The recent decision by the World Court in The Hague to establish a demilitarised zone from which both countries are to withdraw their troops, and Thailand’s related withdrawal from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, may also signify a more unilateral approach to international commitments that could affect, for example, how Ramsar status is perceived in Thailand.

In Lao PDR, WREA was upgraded from an administration to a ministry, MONRE. This is expected to give it greater political influence and authority over water resources management. However the key decisions driving hydropower development are taken of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy.

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3. Overall Progress towards Results The intention of MWD is to support more effective governance in the water sector, fostering greater involvement of a broader range of government, civil society, academic and private sector actors in multi-stakeholder dialogue processes related to policy and decision-making processes.

Important results of MWD therefore relate to either one or both of the following:

• Changes in governance framework (international treaties, regional agreements, national policies, laws, regulations, institutional arrangements) within the water sector.

• Changes in governance processes (more inclusive participation; increased transparency; increased accountability and increased predictability) within the water sector.

Lao PDR • With strong support from MWD, and after many years of lobbying by IUCN and others, the

government finally joined the Ramsar Conventionin 2010 and identified the country’s first two Ramsar sites: Beung Kiat Ngong (BKN) in Champasak Province and Xe Champone (XCP) in Savanakhet Province. With MWD support, a National Wetlands Committee was subsequently established, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, and at the site level in BKN, MWD has established a District Committee whose membership includes local community representatives, to oversee management implementation. During this reporting period, MWD completed baseline situation assessment documents for both sites, and organized consultations to develop management plans for both BKN and XCP. MWD’s role has been critical in ensuring that the preparation of these plans is participatory, pays special attention to the dependence on women on wetlands resources, and incorporates experience from Thailand and other relevant sites

Cambodia

. MWD has also started discussions with the government and local stakeholders on working towards establishment of a Nam Lik Sub-basin Committee as part of the overall Nam Ngum River Basin Committee (one of the first river basin organisations in Lao PDR to be established under the Decree of June 2010)

• MWD is working with key stakeholders to develop a national wetlands strategy/wetlands management guidance document. This is based on literature review, review of previous experience in Cambodia (as well as neighbouring countries), expert consultation, and focal group discussions.

Vietnam

The broad membership of the NWG, as well as the range of stakeholders involved in the MWD processes is allowing this to be a very robust process that will develop an active coalition of support for this approach.

• Through intensive networking and information circulation, MWD was one of several players that succeeded in persuading the government to oppose the Xayaburi dam. The final intervention was made by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in April when he met his Lao counterpart in Jakarta. This decision is remarkable because it also implies that Vietnam will not proceed with a proposed Vietnam-funded dam near Luang Prabang. These developments are the culmination of six months of advocacy led by Vietnamese researchers and academics based in the Mekong Delta. This is an example of how MWD, by providing relevant information and experience from the region and globally, can make a significant contribution to a major policy decision

Thailand

. MWD also prepared the documentation needed for the government to propose Ba Be and Tram Chim as Vietnam’s third and fourth Ramsar sites. Ba Be was nominated in April.

• MWD has played a lead role in promoting the use of villager-led participatory action research, called Tai Baan, in relation to water resource management. Recent progress reflects in part Thailand’s relatively sophisticated academic and NGO communities. MWD is supporting the development of training manuals and guidelines to facilitate the replication of Tai Baan with an initial focus on the Chi and Mae Chan. This approach will be shared Lao PDR, where local communities believe that Tai Baan can help them to fill gaps in the EIA and mitigation strategies of the proposed Xayabouri Dam. This is an example of how MWD can promote

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cross-border learning and reap the benefits of a regional project

In 2010 NWG members from all countries provided numerous inputs to MRC-led planning processes and consultations at the regional level, including two BDP Regional Stakeholder Consultations that were primarily concerned with different scenarios of infrastructure development in the basin; the review meeting of the Strategic Environment Assessment report on mainstream hydropower development; and the development partner statement delivered to the four prime ministers at the First Mekong Summit in Hua Hin in April 2010. These types of inputs were continued in 2011, including participation in public information meetings concerning the Xayaburi dam; inputs to the Strategic Planning of the MRC Environment Division, and inputs to the MRC Climate Change Adaptation Initiative

. MWD in Thailand is also preparing for an assessment of RBC effectiveness starting with the Chi Basin in northeast Thailand. The methodology being developed for the assessment will eb pilot tested in the Chi adn then replicated elsewhere. Once again, it can also serve as a model approach for neighbouring countries

4. Management and Administration 4.1 Staffing and Human Resource Management The first organizational chart below shows how IUCN was managing MWD until 31 March 2011. The second chart shows the new structure of the IUCN Asia Region from 01 April 2011 onwards. Tis restructuring was a major change during this reporting period. The position of Dr. Robert Mather, Country Group 1 Head and MWD Project Manager has been expanded and his new title is Head of Southeast Asia Group, which includes the Mekong Region but adds Indonesia, Singapore, and Timor-Leste. To compensate for his additional responsibilities, the titles and job descriptions of Chris Muziol and Jake Brunner have been modified. Muziol is now Programme Coordinator Lao PDR, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, and Singapore; and and Brunner is Programme Coordinator Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. They will play a greater role in MWD management. Muziol and Brunner will continue to report Dr. Mather. Figure 1.

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Figure 2.

There have been two changes in in-country staffing during this reporting period. Jason Bayly-Stark, AYAD Volunteer in Hanoi, has returned to Australia. He has applied to do a MS in IWRM at the University of Queensland and, if accepted, plans to return to the region as part of his studies. Raphael Glemet joined the Lao team as MWD Officer on an initial short-term contract of 6 months

4.2 Financial Management There have been two changes in financial management personnel. Dimuthu Samaratunga, who moved from Colombo to Hanoi for three months during Nguyen Kim Dung’s maternity leave returned to Sri Lanka in January 2011. In Lao PDR the finance officer and assistant resigned but have subsequently been replaced.

4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation All four countries submitted quarterly reports using a standard template in April. These were reviewed an approved by the Project Manager. On June 14-16, IUCN organized a team meeting in Khon Kaen to review progress and revise workplans and budgets for the second half of 2011. A report of the meeting was circulated.

Every six months, a semi-annual progress report (this report) will be prepared and submitted to the PSC together with revised work plans and budgets for the rest of the year, for review and endorsement. Subject to PSC recommendations, budgets and work plans will be further adjusted and modified accordingly.

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At the end of each calendar year, the project will prepare an annual report, including both the project’s programmatic and financial progress. The report would be reviewed by the PSC and submitted to the Finnish Embassy by March 1 of the subsequent year. At the end of the project, an end of project report will be developed and submitted to the embassy within three months of closure of the project.

In response to the MTR recommendations for MWD Phase II implementation, the following table summarizes the recommendations and action in implementing them:

Recommendation

Response

Inception phase of three months to be undertaken as a start of Phase II.

Inception phase of 4 months (September-December 2010) was undertaken

One Project Coordinator for each of the four countries

In each country there is a national coordinator; in Lao PDR there is also a field coordinator, and in Cambodia a field coordinator is being recruited

The project has a think tank person for each country. This person can be an IUCN staff member or NWG member of NWG or consultant

IUCN coordinators act as local think tanks and Torkil Clausen plays the same role for the IWRM/RBO component, and as a mentor particularly for the Vietnam NWG, which specifically requested this kind of assistance

The project has a skilful facilitator for each country. This person can be an IUCN staff member or NWG member of NWG or consultant

For all significant dialogue meetings, professional facilitators will be used; for “internal” IUCN and NWG-only meetings, a combination of internal and external facilitation is being used. For example Terry Clayton facilitated some sessions of the June Team Meeting

Transboundary issues are added to the agenda MWD focuses on trans-boundary issues in several ways:

• It is addressing governance in watershed areas of Mekong tributaries that have implications for downstream users, e.g., Mae Chan

• It works on wetland governance issues that are common across countries, particularly at Ramsar sites in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam, and promoting more explicit regional collaboration on Ramsar

• It will start to work in the Srepok River in both Vietnam and Cambodia, linked to the 3S initiative

• In Nam Lik/Nam Ngum, it will have to address the proposed basin transfer from Lao PDR to Thailand

• Although it was not intending to work on Mekong dams, in the current climate it is impossible to say we are working on water governance and not get involved in the debate about Mekong mainstream dams

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The concerns of affected local communities/primary stakeholders are taken into account

Where MWD is already active on the ground (e.g., BKN in Lao PDR), local communities are heavily involved; where interventions on the ground are planned elsewhere (e.g., Mekong mainstream and Nam Lik in Lao PDR, Stung Treng in Cambodia) communities are being involved in the design.

New partnerships between local communities, developers and ecologists/conservationists are created to support the project activities

This is a process that takes considerable time, but is clearly our intention. For example in Nam Lik, we are talking to WREA and the RBC; to local communities; and to hydropower developers to develop new partnerships for an effective sub-basin committee that provides an effective platform for local stakeholder concerns to be input to the larger scale basin planning

All processes of influencing policy and learning as well as decision made are documented

We are making strong efforts to document what we learn and how we influence policy and this should be continued throughout the project

The project disseminates and promotes wider acceptance of project data and results, impacts, and lessons learned

The project has developed a finalised communications strategy; and there is now an identified communications person at the regional level as well as communications focal point in each country to help with project communications; the web site is active, and two issues of a new e-newsletter have been disseminated to over 300 people

Fact finding missions to be carried out during the Inception Phase between September and December 2010 aiming at identification and selection of pilot sites

Fact finding missions have been conducted in BKN in Lao PDR, in the Nam Chan in Chiang Rai Province in Thailand, and in Stung Treng in northeast Cambodia in January 2011; in Vietnam, meetings have been held related to wetlands in the delta, and a fact finding mission to the Upper Srepok will be implemented soon, as well as a fact finding mission to the Nam Lik in Lao PDR

Pilot sites situational analysis: data, knowledge and information related to water management and water governance, environmental aspects, administrative and social conditions, local livelihoods, gender, climate change and other data relevant to the focus of the project should be collected at pilot sites and project region

Significant data have been compiled for the two Ramsar sites in Lao PDR, and some data for Mae Chan and Stung Treng have been collected; data for Nam Lik, Srepok and the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Sannakham are still to be compiled

Formulation of wetlands assessment framework This has been developed by IUCN Lao

Development of a regional trans-boundary water governance framework

This is ongoing and should be done soon

Preparation of the inventory of wetlands in Lao PDR

Inventory will be implemented in 2011

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5. Status of Planned Activities

A final revised project document for phase II, including an updated log frame and indicators, will be submitted soon. The original LFA was revised to make it more robust. Particular focus was given to developing clear, meaningful, and feasible indicators.

M. 1.1 Revision of phase II document

Periodically revised work plans and progress reports are of central importance to both the achievement of results and financial management of the project. At the regional meeting in Hua Hin in December 2010, an annual work plan and budget were prepared for each country. These were reviewed and revised to ensure regional consistency. These were then revised to fit the overall budget. In June, the country work plans and budgets were reviewed and revised based on the latest developments.

M. 1.2 Preparation of work plans and budgets for 2011

The Project Manager is in regular email contact with MFA Finland and the Finish Embassy in Bangkok.

M. 2.1 Meetings with MFA Finland/Embassy

A 2.5-day team meeting as held in Khon Kaen in June. It included relevant IUCN technical, finance, and communications staff. A summary of the meeting was circulated to participants.

M. 2.2 Project team meeting

Regional Advisory Committee (RAG)

M. 2.3 Regional meetings of RAG and PSC

The RAG has not yet been formed. Of the four candidates invited, Khun Sansanee has accepted, Jeremy Bird has left the MRC, Mme. Khempeng has left WREA, and Vice-Minister Lai has no yet responded to the invitation. We are rethinking the composition of the RAG. It will be discussed at the next PSC meeting in September 2011.

Project Steering Committee (PSC) Membership of the PSC, which will review and approve reports, work plans and budgets, and ensure quality of deliverables, was finalized in December 2010. The PSC includes the four NWG chairs, a representative from MFA Finland, and a representative of IUCN. The Chairmanship of the PSC is held on a one year rotational basis by one of the NWG chairs. The PSC Chair for 2010-2011 is Kongngeun Choulamountry, the Lao NWG Chair. The PSC meets twice a year, once back to back with the RAG. The first meeting of the PSC was held in Hua Hin in December 2010. The second PSC meeting will be in Vientiane in September 2011.

A communications strategy has been finalized and circulated.

M. 2.4 Preparation of communications strategy

Monthly financial reports are produced and reviewed each month to ensure that spending is on track and any significant variances are addressed in a timely manner.

M. 3.2 Monthly financial reporting

A first draft of the inception report was produced by the Project Manager and circulated to team members for comment and revision before being finalized.

M. 3.3 Preparation of inception report

ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTING TO RESULT 1: NWGs participate in the management of water resources and use shared knowledge and improved consensus to contribute to decision-making at the national and regional levels 1.1 NWG meetings

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On January 27, the Vietnam NWG met in HCMC. Torkil

The Vietnam NWG discussed the results of the MRC Council and the Donor Consultative Group on January 26 in HCMC. The development partners statement highlighted concerns over the public consultation process leading up to a decision in the Xayaburi dam in Lao PDR. At the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation, led by MONRE Vice-Minister Nguyen Thai Lai urged the Lao government to slow down and properly assess the downstream impacts. The concern is not so much the Xayaburi dam but the fact that if approved the dam would trigger proposals to build dams closer to the Mekong Delta. If those dams were built, the sediment flow to the economically vital delta would be cut off and its survival threatened. The decision over the Xayabouri dam is, in effect, a matter of national security for Vietnam.

Jonch-Clausen of the Global Water Partnership gave a key note presentation. He observed that a major barrier to IWRM implementation in Vietnam is that different agencies have management power at different levels. At the river basin level, MONRE is in charge (in principle), at the level of province the people’s committee is in charge, and at the level of the district or sub-basin Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) is in charge. Making IWRM work means that different agencies, including dam operators, need to surrender authority in favor of a common good, which of course they are reluctant to do. Dam operators, for example, want to maximize power generation. That’s why IWRM is so hard to implement in practice.

In Thailand, informal meetings among NWG members have been held three times during the reporting period, and there has been regular email communications with and between NWG members, particularly regarding the proposed Xayaburi dam and RBO experience. The NWG quarterly meeting was postponed to the second half of 2011.

In Lao PDR, the NWG met on April 6 in Vientiane. There were nine participants including four women. (Four members were absent). The agenda was to review the final 2011 MWD workplan, report back on events and activities, provide updates on several wetland projects being implemented by IUCN, and welcome two new NWG members (both women) and discuss the possibility of adding another member. A second NWG meeting was held in April.

The Cambodia NWG met on May 2 in Phnom Penh. The agenda was to brief members on activities underway, get feedback on the guidance report for the National Wetland Policy and Strategy that the NWG had commissioned, and discuss on possibly of conducting a Tonle Sap dialogue. The questionnaire used to develop the national wetlands policy was reviewed by national and international specialists and the draft policy was completed in June. This will be followed by consultations with ministries and NGOs to assess their interest in the policy.

1.2 In January-April, Vietnam NWG members actively participated in series of consultations on the Xayabouri dam. These included the Communist Party’s request to Dr. Dao Trong Tu for briefing notes on the dam and the participation by Dr. Tu in a press conference hosted by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA). In response to a request from Tuoi Tre, one of the largest national newspapers, IUCN emailed a summary of the environmental and economic issues surrounding the dam.

NWG policy outreach

In March, Vietnam NWG members attended a conference called Delta 2011. This meeting, the third in a series, was sponsored by IWMI, FAO, WorldFish Center, IRRI, SEI, and MONRE’s Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Environment (IMHEN). A summary of the meeting was posted on the web site. The key message was that

On March 31, IUCN’s Jake Brunner and NWG member Dr. Ni participated in a meeting to review progress of the Dutch-supported Mekong Development Plan (MDP). A draft summary, which questioned if the process was truly addressing strategic issues, was circulated to NWG members and the Dutch Embassy in Hanoi. Brunner subsequently met the water advisor at the embassy who felt that the draft was unduly critical. The summary was revised based on this feedback. Nevertheless, the key challenges regarding the extent to which the delta is being managed as a hydrological unit as

under natural conditions, deltas rise at an average rate of 5.5 mm/year; but under contemporary conditions, some deltas are sinking on the order of 15 mm/year. The main causes of this sinking are reduced aggradation as a result of dams that trap sediment and dykes that raise the level of the river bed but stop the lateral flow of sediment; and accelerated compaction because of groundwater and natural gas pumping. According to a paper published in Nature, the Mekong Delta is one of the “Deltas in peril: reduction in aggradation plus accelerated compaction combining to exacerbate the rate of sea-level rise.”

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opposed to 13 often competing provinces, and the extent to which the contributing ministries can take positions that clash with their narrow sector-specific interests, remain valid. IUCN will continue to track development of the MDP.

1.3 In Vietnam, MWD has offered to sponsor Ms. Giang Tran Binh, MONRE/Department of Water Resources Management (DWRM) official and NWG member, to attend a 3-week course on water law at Dundee University in the UK in August 2011. This university is a center of excellence on water policy and law. DWRM is responsible for drafting the new Water Law. Binh’s participation is an excellent opportunity to build capacity of NWG members and support the preparation of this law. MWD members from all four countries were also provided with opportunities to learn from major regional conferences including the MRC/GIZ/IWMI/Challengeprogramme/IUCN International Conference on Watershed Management in Chiang Mai; The regional Ramsar Training orgnaised by IUCN and the RAMSAR Secretariat in Vientiane; and The Asian Wetlands Symposium in Sabah.

NWG member training

ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTING TO RESULT 2: Livelihood concerns of local people are integrated into RBO and wetlands decision-making through multi-stakeholder dialogue processes 2.1 A consultation meeting was held with the head of eight villages in the BKN Ramsar site. The purpose of the meeting was to encourage local villagers living around BKN to focus on increasing rice production while restoring forest in the area around BKN. This will include the collection of kok seng (aquatic plant) seeds to plant next year. The seed collection will take place later in 2011.

Ramsar site management in Lao PDR

The baseline reports of the BKN and XCP Ramsar sites were presented at the NWG meeting in April for members to comment on. Additional comments were gathered from other stakeholders, including WCS and WWF. The reports are now finalised and will be published on the IUCN web site later in 2011.

From previous studies in BKN, It is observed that women were engaged directly in rice seed selection and seedling production in the nursery. A consultation meeting with eight village heads was held in May to make a plan for women’s involvement in these activities. Women’s participation will be needed for the development of the BKN co-management plan.

A meeting on April 27 was held in the provincial government’s office. It was chaired by Somsanit Boudtivong, Deputy Governor of Champasak Province, who is also the President of BKN Ramsar Management Committee. There were 32 participants (including five women). Participants included representatives of provincial government departments and the provincial Ramsar secretariat.

The meeting discussed the agreement to set up the national and provincial Ramsar Steering Committees and the establishment of the provincial Ramsar Secretariat. The outcomes of the first National Ramsar Steering Committee meeting on January 31 were shared. The meeting agreed on a work plan and set a tentative date for the next committee meeting.

A consultation meeting on the value of wetlands and the importance of the Ramsar Convention was held in XCP District, Savannakhet Province on May 18. There were 31 participants (including four women). Four participants came from the Provincial Water Resource and Environment Office (PWREO), 15 from villages, three from village clusters, and eight from other relevant sectors. The meeting was chaired by Moun Vorlathamniem, Deputy Governor of Champhone District and Sinouan, Head of PWREO in Savannakhet Province.

The aim of the meeting was to disseminate information on the wetland values and importance of the Ramsar Convention and share the decree for the nomination of the National Steering Committee on wetlands management that was officially released at the first National Steering Committee meeting on January 31.

Most participants understood the information that was shared. This was demonstrated by the very clear questions they asked regarding the objectives of wetland management and creating regulations related to the Ramsar Convention. The meeting also provided the opportunity to discuss, share opinions and give comments related to the MWD annual workplan, including recommending the

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following things: a study tour to BKN; a scoping plan for boundary surve; identifying conservation zones; and development of key regulations for wetland management.

It is expected that the establishment of the provincial steering committee and the secretariat for wetland management in XCP will be done in second half of 2011.

The study tour of XCP villagers and district authorities to BKN will be arranged in the second half of 2011 after the establishment of the steering committee and secretariat of the XCP Ramsar site.

A consultation workshop on the preparation of the BKN co-management plan was held on May 23. It included 11 participants from the provincial Ramsar steering committee (including two women). The aim of the meeting was to inform participants about the co-management plan preparation and get their feedback and comments.

The meeting defined the roles and responsibilities of the core team and requested other sectors to provide information as necessary. Local authorities agreed to support development of the co-management plan, which will be the responsibility of both the provincial and district authorities, in particular the provincial Ramsar secretariat and a technical team from the district level.

2.2 In March, three Vietnam NWG members participated in a workshop in Rach Gia to discuss the status of the proposed Phu My Grassland Reserve in Kien Giang Province. This area represents of the few remaining natural wetlands left in the Mekong Delta and is vitally important as a breeding ground for the highly threatened Sarus crane, which visit the delta during the February-April dry season. The proposed reserve will have a total area of 3,400 hectares, of which 1,200 hectares is core zone, 1,700 hectares is buffer zone, and 500 hectares are satellite areas. However, despite its global conservation importance, mining and shrimp production have been proposed for 700 hectares of the core zone, and many small areas have already been encroached.

Wetlands planning in Vietnam and Cambodia

The meeting was attended by the Vice-Chair of the Provincial People’s Committee who reaffirmed the decision to establish the nature reserve and assigned DOST to address land use conflicts. Despite these positive words, it is clear that the provincial government has both agreed to establish the nature reserve and approved land use plans that conflict with its conservation status. It is expected that commercial interests will fight strongly to develop the grassland. NWG member Dr. Duong Van Ni of Can Tho University will take the lead on the preparation of the management plan of the grassland. This will be challenging and will require strong MWD support. It would also make an interesting case study of environmental governance.

At the first meeting of the Cambodia NWG, a questionnaire that will be used to assess stakeholder interest in and influence on wetlands management was reviewed. The results of the questionnaire will feed into the National Wetlands Policy and Strategy. Since the NWG include most of Cambodia’s wetlands specialists, the NWG provides an appropriate venue to review the questionnaire and, when complete, the draft policy.

2.3 On February 20, World Wetlands Day was organized in Kampong Loung Secondary School in Cambodia. The event was presided over by H.E. Pech Horn, Deputy Governor of Pursat Province, and Dr. Srey Sunleang, Director of the Department of Wetlands and Costal Zones (DWCZ) of the Ministry of Environment, with 500 participants from across the country. DWCZ is the national Ramsar Administration Authority (RAA) and government focal point for the Ramsar Convention. The event was supported by many NGOs including BirdLife, FFI, Conservation International, WWF, International Crane Foundation, WCS, Mlub Baitong, Culture and Environmental Preservation Association (CEPA), and Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC).

World Wetlands and Biodiversity Day

In March, Vietnam’s Ba Be Lake, which is the only large natural mountain lake in Vietnam

MONRE has now asked for IUCN’s assistance with the nomination of Tram Chim National Park, one of the few remaining natural grasslands in the Mekong Delta, as Vietnam’s fourth Ramsar site.

, was nominated as Vietnam’s third Ramsar site. IUCN’s Nguyen Duc Tu assisted MONRE with the preparation of the nomination. In June, MWD provided financial and technical support to the World Wetlands Day event that MONRE organized in Ba Be. Tu gave one of the key note speeches, which highlighted the value of Ramsar designation. An article on the event was posted on the web site.

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In Thailand, in collaboration with ONEP, an exhibition and presentation on river basin management experience was organized on World Wetlands Day on February 2. This year’s theme was “forest for water and wetlands”. The MWD presentation focused on watershed rehabilitation and wetlands management in the Mae Chan river basin in the north, the Chi, Moon, and Songkhram in the northeast and the ridge to reef approach in the Andaman coast.

Also in Thailand, NWG members were invited to share lessons on watershed rehabilitation in northern Thailand and on wetlands restoration in the Chi river basin at the National Biodiversity Day workshop in Bangkok on May 23.

2.4 In Lao PDR, a meeting was held with the Nam Ngum River Basin Committee (NNRBC) and ADB at the end of March to discuss MWD involvement in establishing a pilot RBC for the Nam Lik sub-basin by ensuring community participation through an MSD process with strong participation from civil society and the private sector. While the PM’s decree of June 2010 specifies the composition of the basin-level RBC (with only one of the 37 members being non-state), there are no stipulations for sub-basin RBCs. It is expected that the provincial vice-governor will chair the sub-basin committee as well as vice-chair of the NNRBC. This will help to ensure that decisions made at the sub-basin level will be mainstreamed at the basin level.

IWRM policy and piloting in Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam

In follow-up meetings with NNRBC, MWD agreed to an inaugural meeting in Nam Lik later in 2011. Invitees will include representatives from Nam Song and Nam Ko sub-basins, where initial discussions of RBCs have also started.

MWD supported the Nam Ngum RBC Secretariat for the Nam Song Clean-Up Day, which took place in Vang Vieng on May 20. This support covered posters and flyers. A report can be viewed at: http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/asia/regional_activities/mekong_water_dialogues__mwd_/mekong_water_dialogues/?7782/Clean-Up-Day-promotes-sustainable-water-resource-management-along-the-Nam-Xong-River.

In Thailand, informal meetings were held with provincial authorities including the Governor’s Executive Office, Land Development Office, water user groups, and community representative (rice farmer group, buffalo raising group, fisheries group). Cooperation between the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Mae Chan river basin will now start. The first activity will be to improve forest functions through watershed rehabilitation. Groups in the middle and lower reaches promised to contribute banana and other trees. Tree planting will take place later in 2011.

The ridge to the river mouth approach to river basin management was debated at a meeting with the Royal Project Committee, which has worked on watershed rehabilitation in the upper Mae Chan since 2008. This committee involves all relevant stakeholders and is a key change agent for MWD to mainstream water governance issues and participatory decision making into water resources management.

In March, in response to his negative opinion on the Xayabouri dam, IUCN wrote Vice-Minister Lai on behalf of the NWG enclosing the Vietnamese language versions of the

MWD finalized a grant to Can Tho University to provide technical support to ForWet, a local NGO that works on wetlands conservation in the Mekong Delta. ForWet has received $60,000 over two years from the McKnight Foundation to support applied research and advocacy against the Xayabouri and other mainstream dams. MWD co-funding will allow ForWet to expand its focus to address large-scale water resources management infrastructure in the delta, which is having serious negative impacts on water quality, human health, groundwater recharge, and nature conservation. These are complex issues to address because arguing for a less intensive approach to water and land management runs counter to the traditional approach of seeking to control and dominate water. But the costs of a single-

Forecast Mekong DVD. This DVD, which was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey, uses the best available information and scientific literature to illustrate the potential impacts of dams and climate change on the health of the Mekong River. Dams and other infrastructure on the Mississippi River cut off 50% of the sediment flow to the Mississippi Delta. Reduced sediment loads, combined with the construction of levees in the lower reaches of the river and the natural compaction of alluvial sediments have resulted in a delta that is now sinking rapidly. There is no reason to believe that the Mekong Delta would not suffer the same consequences if dams are built upstream. If this happens to the Mekong Delta, the economic and social impacts would be extremely serious.

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minded focus on maximizing production are becoming increasingly apparent. This is therefore a critical opportunity for MWD. Field activities will start in the second half of 2011.

On March 31, IUCN’s Jake Brunner and NWG member Dr. Ni participated in a meeting to review progress of the Mekong Development Plan (MDP) in HCMC. Supported technically by The Netherlands, this plan is intended to provide the strategic basis for public investment in the delta over the next 50 years. A draft summary of the meeting, which questioned if the process was truly addressing strategic issues, was circulated to NWG members and the Dutch Embassy in Hanoi. Brunner subsequently met the water advisor at the embassy who felt that the draft was unduly critical. The summary was revised based on this feedback. Nevertheless, the key challenges regarding the extent to which the delta is being managed as a hydrological unit as opposed to 13 often competing provinces, and the extent to which the contributing ministries can take positions that clash with their narrow sector-specific interests, remain valid. IUCN will continue to track development of the MDP.

2.5 MWD had offered to support DWRM with those components of the NTP on Improving Effectiveness of Water Resources Use and Protection that included civil society participation. Since the government decided not to proceed with the NTP, the NWG has offered to assist DWRM with the public consultations of the draft Water Law. Growing competition over water and deteriorating water quality are increasingly issues of public concern in Vietnam. For over 10 years, the government has talked about the need for IWRM but has done nothing to make it happen. The new law may be an opportunity to address the institutional conflicts that have blocked IWRM implementation to date.

Water Law revision in Vietnam

IUCN and NWG Chair reached agreement with DWRM to organize two consultations on the draft Water Law. IUCN has translated the draft law into English to facilitate feedback from international specialists. MWD will also issue a grant to WARECOD, a local NGO, to support additional civil society dialogues on the draft law.

2.6 In June a paper on the links between groundwater and wetlands in the Mekong Delta was published and posted on the web site.

Baseline report on groundwater in the Mekong Delta

2.7 Preparation of a handbook for Tai Baan research is underway and a first draft is under review. A proposal for Tai Baan research training and implementation in the upper and middle reach of the Mae Chan river basin is being prepared. There is strong local interest among farmers, fishers, herders, women's groups, and schools. Tai Baan research aims to provide a framework in which local stakeholders can explore issues most relevant to their livelihoods. The first activity will be a workshop to clarify the scope and purpose of the research, nominate community researchers, and arrange training workshops on research methods.

Tai Baan research in Thailand

ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTING TO RESULT 3: Learning from regional knowledge on participatory water governance collated and communicated by the project is used by various stakeholders in policy and practice in the Lower Mekong Region

NWG members and IUCN staff and partners organized and hosted a study tour from Bangladesh to Thailand on May 26-29 to learn about river basin management including watershed rehabilitation, wetland management, and poverty reduction in the Mae Chan sub-basin.

3.1 Bangladesh study tour to community-managed wetlands in Thailand

SNV, RECOFTC, and IUCN have collaborated on the development of a training manual on natural resource governance. Two participants from the IUCN MWD team attended a training course on environmental governance on January 9-14 in Bangkok. The training covered basic understanding of the key characteristics of governance: (1) transparency (2) accountability (3) participation, and (4) rule of law. The training will assist preparation of the BKN co-management plan and the management regulations for XCP. Based on the results of this training and feedback from participants, a training

3.2 IUCN/SNV/RECOFTC training on environmental governance

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manual will be published. This manual may then form the basis for subsequent governance training of NWG members and others later in 2011.

The website is updated on a regular basis. Numerous web articles and other products have been developed during this reporting period. Please check the MWD home page:

3.3 Updating of web site, mailing lists, and other communications tools

http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/asia/regional_activities/mekong_water_dialogues__mwd_/

Two e-newsletters have been produced and disseminated. After the first e-news there was a clear spike in visits to the website. The communications strategy/plan has been finalised and circulated. In response to a request from national Geographic (an IUCN Member) who are planning a major feature on eh Mekong, the MWD team helped to put together an annual calendar of interesting culture, wetlands and fisheries related activities in the Mekong Basin. This can also be downloaded from the website.

ACTIVITIES CONTRIBUTING TO RESULT 4: Strategic partnerships and alliances are established at the regional level to promote water governance policies that support livelihood security, human and ecosystem health in the Lower Mekong Region

Over 10 NWG members from all four countries attended this conference in Chiang Mai on March 9-11. There were over 200 participants. The conference was organised around three topics: best practices; governance; and sustainable financing. Details can be found at the following website:

4.1 MRC/GIZ/IWMI/IUCN conference on watershed management

http://www.mrcmekong.org/MRC_news/intl-conference-watershed-mngt.htm. The Project Manager wrote a review of the sessions he attended.

To assist the Lao government in implementation of the Ramsar Convention, MWD, with additional support from the Ramsar Secretariat, organized the workshop Conservation and Wise Use of Wetlands in the Lower Mekong Basin in Vientiane on March 21-25. The workshop brought together, for the first time, Ramsar authorities, site managers, NGOs, and specialists from across the region to share their experiences and best practices. The workshop attracted 30 participants from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vietnam, and China.

4.2 Ramsar governance training in Lao PDR

The first two days of the workshop was spent in Thailand at the Kud Ting Ramsar site, close to the border with Lao PDR. It gave participants an opportunity to see a WWF-supported field project that works with 18 villages around the wetland. The project has established officially recognised local bodies that will continue the work into the future, including a local site committee and a provincial wetlands committee, both with broad stakeholder representation. Local by-laws and regulations have been issued to provide a legal basis for the demarcation of the wetland. Rules on wetland use have been established by the communities.

Participants returned to Vientiane for a 2-day workshop to discuss and exchange experiences on the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Topics ranged from site-based issues, such as best practices for working with local communities and ecotourism development, to national policy issues, such as the benefits from conducting national wetland inventories and developing national policies for wetland conservation. Participants discussed a proposal to establish a Ramsar Regional Initiative for conserving the wetlands in the Lower Mekong Region with a broad-based membership involving governments, NGOs, academic institutions, and other stakeholders.

On the final day, a seminar was held for representatives from government ministries to introduce them to the importance of wetlands and the Ramsar Convention, with a focus on wetland values and urban wetlands. The seminar was chaired by H.E. Sisavath Vithaxay, WREA Vice President, who reiterated the government’s commitment to implement the Ramsar Convention and designate additional Ramsar sites such as the That Luang wetlands on the outskirts of the Vientiane, which is particularly important as a natural sewage/waste water treatment plant for the city.

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6. Lessons Learned MWD’s achievements in phase I have shown that it is possible to facilitate communications and interactions between government departments and with other stakeholders; and that the dialogue process can create an effective platform to meet and discuss areas of common interest, between people holding different views. The dialogues help to mobilize stakeholders and build partnerships; create opportunities for stakeholders to discuss, share and exchange their perspectives at national and regional levels; as well as provide an effective mechanism for lobbying and policy advocacy. This provides a strong rationale and basis for continuing with the dialogue approach in a phase II of the project.

Specifically, a number of lessons learned through implementation of phase I have been used to inform the design and approach of phase II.

In phase I, the project worked on the assumption that members of the NWG in each country were participating essentially as individuals knowledgeable and experienced in the water sector, rather than as representatives of their agency or organisation. The thinking was that this would allow more unrestricted and freer dialogue and the building of an atmosphere of trust amongst the NWG members drawn from different sectors. While this has proved to be more or less the case, the Cambodian NWG members in particular have noted that the project also has an expectation that NWG members will take new thinking, new perceptions, and new learning from their involvement in MWD processes back to their own organisation. They suggest that at least in the Cambodian context, they could be more effective in achieving this if they were participating in the NWG in an officially recognised capacity representing their organisation. At the very least, there would be an expectation that they will report back to their boss after each activity. Consequently, greater flexibility has been provided in the set-up arrangements of each NWG in phase II, depending on the country context. The NWG does not have to operate in exactly the same way in all four countries.

Another lesson from phase I that has been incorporated into the design of phase II is the need for a “think tank” to support the NWGs. This is being done in two ways. First, by establishing the RAG, and, second, by engaging a senior water sector specialist to provide specific mentoring to the Vietnamese NWG in particular.

Also, while it is clear that NWG members require training and capacity-building, the approach in phase I of training all members of all NWGs in the same topics was not found to be the best way to support them. In phase II, a more tailored approach is being developed based on a clearer training needs assessment. An initial training needs assessment was conducted during the inception period, and will be built on in early 2011.

Phase 1 attempted to cover too many diverse issues in different sub-sectors of the water sector. While it was useful to allow the NWGs in each country to be free to select the issues they thought were most important in each case, the result was too many issues, and little overlap or commonality between the countries, in turn making it more difficult to identify the regional issues of common concern. In the design of phase II, the thematic areas of work have been limited to RBOs and wetlands.

On the other hand, phase I suffered from a lack of any geographic focus and was not rooted anywhere on the ground. The design of phase II has learned from this lesson, and now includes field sites.

In MWD Phase II, different lessons learned have started to emerge from different countries. In Lao PDR, MWD has organised a range of meetings, workshops, conferences, trainings, field trips, World Water Day celebrations, etc. The role of NWG members in these events has been somewhat passive. A more detailed workplan with clear follow-up actions, responsibilities, and deadlines, should enhance the role and stature of the NWG one that is basically attending to one that does full justice to its name as a national working group, and starts to influence decisions beyond the immediate project context.

In Cambodia as in other countries, achieving impact depends on working with the right partner. But getting the right partner is hard because people are very busy. Moreover, the process of engaging government officials is slow. They always require a formal letter of invitation and then need higher level permission before responding, which can cause long delays. They often ask for additional benefits when they work out of office and sometimes ask for budget or material support for their ministry, requests that MWD cannot fulfil.

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The difficulties in building a dynamic and effective NWG are perhaps particularly serious in Cambodia and Lao PDR where human resources are weakest. IUCN is responding by intensifying communication with NWG members and ensuring that they are full involved in all project activities. In Cambodia, the vigorous response of Prime Minister Hun Sen to Tonle Sap issues should help raise interest, particularly among government officials, in water resource management in government in general and in MWD in particularly. In all four countries, the performance of the NWG will be monitored and membership adjusted if need be.

7. Leverage and Sustainability 1. Mekong watersheds of Northern Thailand Much of the MWD work in Thailand is on RBOs and Tai Baan research. This has resulted in a geographic focus on north and northeast Thailand. IUCN has secured $300,000 for three years from two businesses (PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited, and TOTAL E&P Thailand) to work on poverty alleviation in the Doi Mae Salong watershed. This is the only MWD site in a high elevation upper watershed. Key governance issues include the marginalization of the ethnic minorities from the watershed planning and river basin decision-making processes, land tenure, and nationality. In addition, $35,000 is available in a SENSA-funded activity to identify potential for REDD+ and/or voluntary carbon market schemes in this watershed.

2. Mekong from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, Lao PDR The first formally proposed hydropower dam on the Lower Mekong is the Xayaburi dam located downstream of Luang Prabang and upstream of Pak Lay, in Xayabouri Province. Very little is known of the ecology and biodiversity of this stretch of the river, or the extent to which local people are dependent on riverine resources for food and livelihood security. In this situation it is impossible to accurately assess the impact of the dam on local ecology and local livelihoods; impossible to develop appropriate mitigation measures; and impossible to accurately assess appropriate compensation for affected communities. IUCN has received $250,000 from the CEPF to conduct the first scientific studies of the biodiversity, ecology, and the livelihoods they support, of this stretch of the river. Results of the surveys will be fed into dialogues that can be facilitated by MWD on the impacts of the dam, mitigation options and compensation requirements. Project implementation is about to start.

3. Ramsar sites in Lao PDR In phase I, MWD assisted WREA and the Lao government to ratify the Ramsar Convention and designate their first two Ramsar sites: BKN and XCP. In phase II, additional support to establishing effective governance of these sites, including policy, legal and institutional arrangement, will be a feature of MWD. IUCN will also bring in additional funding. To date, €92,000 has been secured from BMU to assess issues of customary law, and IUCN is helping WREA to secure a $50,000 grant from the Ramsar Secretariat.

4. Stung Treng Ramsar site, Cambodia IUCN submitted a concept note to Foundation Ensemble, a French foundation, for a $250,000, 2-year project to support poverty alleviation and Ramsar management at Stung Treng. However, we were unable to prepare the full proposals on time and may submit in 2012.

5. 3S Rivers, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR We have secured $500,000 from SDC to support trans-boundary water dialogues in the 3S Rivers: the Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok that cover parts of Vietnam, Lao PDR, and Cambodia. This grant complements MWD by providing additional resources to test the potential for such dialogue to influence water resources management in these environmentally complex and economically important river basins. We will use the NWG as the institutional infrastructure to implement this project, thereby saving money and ensuring that we take full advantage of the professional relations and networks established under MWD. This 3S work is part of a larger global project secured by the Global Water team, and managed out of the IUCN Law Office in Bonn.

6. Mekong Delta

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IUCN has received EU funding to work on coastal climate change adaptation in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In Vietnam, this project will overlap with MWD in the Mekong Delta, particularly with respect to the role of wetlands in climate change adaptation. About $1 million of project activities could be considered of relevance to MWD. In addition, SENSA is funding $35,000 of work in the delta looking at the potential for REDD+ and voluntary carbon market schemes in mangrove forests. IUCN, SNV, and ICAFIS, have submitted a €1.6M proposal to BMU, to work on mangrove conservation, carbon forestry, and sustainable shrimp production in the delta.

7. Ramsar Regional Initiative A concept for a Regional Ramsar Initiative has been discussed with GIZ and the Ramsar Secretariat and will be submitted to BMZ in late 2011. The aim of the project is to establish a regional support programme for Ramsar in the Mekong Region, housed in a small secretariat in Vientiane, and providing capacity building, policy development support, extension of best practices, and other services.

8. Fish trade research $55,000 has been raised from Sumernet to research the fish trade between Stung Treng, Champasak, and Ubon Ratchathani – providing a link between MWD on the ground activities in NE Cambodia; S. Lao PDR and NE Thailand.

9. Mekong hydropower film Sida is likely to approve a proposal for The Chalengr Programme and IUCN to finance the production of a BBC/TVE film on Mekong hydropower development.

10. Sida co-funding IUCN is developing a concept to submit to Sida to expand and build on MWD II.

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ANNEX 1: NWG Members for MWD Phase II Cambodia:

No.

Org. & Name & Contact address Org. Type Participants’ Background

1 Dr.SreySunleng Director, Department of Wetlands & Coastal zone, General Department of Administration of Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) Ministry of Environment (MoE) Phnom Penh, Cambodia #148, Pheah Sihanouk Blvd, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan ChamkarMon Tel:855-23-721073 Fax:855-23-721073 MobilePhone:85512220998 Email: [email protected]

Wetlands policy and planning

The Department of Wetlands and coastal zone is taking responsibility for wetland issues in Cambodia, and our target for MWD phase II is wetlands, so we need to work closely with this department.

2 Mr.SayTom Chief of Human Resource Development Office,

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), MAFF

Tel: 855-12 834030

email: [email protected]

Agriculture and Water Resources Management and Integrated Fishery Management.

Wetlands is also linked to Agriculture and Irrigation. Also the personal experience and interest of Mr. Say Tom who used to contribute his knowledge in the past MWD phase I and assisting MWD to build communication with MAFF. That’s why we need to work with MAFF.

3 Mr.PichSereywath Deputy Director of Department of Community Fisheries Development,FisheriesAdministration(FiA). Tel.85512445136 Email: [email protected]

Fishery Resources Management and Development

Aquaculture Development

Fishery Administration is taking responsibility for fishery management in Cambodia and our MWD phase II will work in Mekong especially wetlands and fishery issue. So this is important to work with them (Also personal interest and experiences and good communication of people we selected is very useful to involve them in the NWG).

4 Mr.CheaSophal Chief of Water Policy and Extension, Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology , PhnomPenh,Cambodia. Tel. 855 12 786544

Water Governance in related to Lower Mekong

Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology (MoWRAM) is play importance role in Water Governance in Cambodia. Tonle Sap Authority is also under (MoWRAM)

5 Mr.TekVannara Program manager : Culture and Environment Preservation Association(CEPA)(IUCNMember) PhnomPenh,Cambodia #51, Street 265, Sangkat Toeuk Laork 3,Khan Toul Kork, PhnomPenh

Agriculture Economic Development and Sustainable Water Resources Development

CEPA is one of IUCN member is Cambodia and they are also working on wetland and fishery so we need to involved them in NWG and they have a

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Tel:855-23-881364 H/P:855-12793489 email: [email protected]

field office in Stung Treng.

6 Mr.VaMoeurn Executive Director, Mlup Baitong (IUCN Member) #37B, St.113, Sangkat Boeung KengkangII, Khan Chamkarmon, P.O.Box 2510, Phnom Penh-Cambodia. Phone: 855 23214409 H/P: 855 12 782 536

email: [email protected]@online.com.kh

IUCN Member

7 Mr.LongSochet ChairmanCommunityFisheryCoalition PursatProvince,Cambodia Email:[email protected] Mobile: 855- 11 363 134

Community based fisheries

Management and community’s small enterprise management

We need to have a balance between Government agency and community at ground level and from the MWD phase II Mr. Socheth is very active in the NWG so we should involved him.

8 Ms. Cheou Chantha 3S rivers community RBO representative, Phoum Ban Mai, Khum Kamphoun, Sesan District, Stung Treng , Cambodia

Tel: 855 11 261149

Community development: Community based water users group (RBO) and natural resources management

I am not quite sure on her expertise and skill yet. However, she was one of the community leader selected by the people in her community (election among community member so she is able to represent the voice of her community in 3 rivers). Also to have balance, we should also involve gender to NWG.

Lao PDR No.

Org. & Name & Contact address Org. Type Participants’ Background

1 Mr. Kongngeun CHOUNLAMOUNTRY

Assistant to DG of WRD, WREA

Tel: (856) 21 241744, 020-5619445

Fax:( 856) 21 218737

Email: [email protected]

Govt. Water Resource Management

2 Mr. Khampadith KHAMMOUNHEUANG DDG of Department of Environment (DoE), WREA

Tel: (856) 20 2210 591, 021 218712

Email: [email protected]

Govt. Environmental Law & Policies

(Ramsar, GEF FP)

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3 Mr. Phouthasack Souvannasao

DD of Investment Promotion Division, Dept. of Investment Promotion, Ministry of Planning and Investment

Tel: (856 20) 220 3813

Fax: 856 (21) 215491

Email: [email protected]

Govt. Planning and Investment

4 Mr. Somnuk CHANTHASETH

Director of Planning and Cooperation Division, Department of Irrigation (DOI),MAF

Tel: (856 20) 222 8948, 021 264868

Email: [email protected]

Govt. Irrigation Water Management

5 Ms. Kaysamy LATVILAYVONG

Rural Development Department, Lao Women Union

Tel: (856 20) 5568 5350

Fax: (856 21) 214300

Email: [email protected]

Govt. Rural Development

6 ?? Earth Systems Lao

Tel: (856 21) 413 723, 020-7809 8862

Fax: (856 21)416 563

Email: [email protected]

Private sector Environment, Water

7 Mr. Chanthone NAOVALATH Manager-Social Mitigation and Special Projects of Lane Xang Minerals Ltd (LXML)

Tel: (856) 21 264169, 020-2227788

Fax:(856)21 414293

Email: [email protected]

Private sector Geology & hydrogeology

Environment & social science

8 Mr. Sengsoulivanh Inthachack

Deputy Director of WREA in Champassak province

Tel and Fax : 856 (31) 213997

Mobile : 856 (20) 55273300

Email : [email protected]

Prov. Govt. Head of Kiat Ngong Wetland Secretariat at Provincial level

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9 Mr. Khamphay Luanglath

Deputy Director of Forestry Section, Champassak province

Tel and Fax : 856 (31) 212177

Mobile : 856(20)2269916

Email : [email protected]

Prov. Govt. Deputy Head of Kiat Ngong Wetland Secretariat

10 Mr. Vilavong Vannalath

MWD Field Coordinator (Pakse)

IUCN Lao PDR

Tel and Fax : 856 (31) 253 273

Mobile : 856(20) 020 573 5135

Email : [email protected]

IUCN staff

11 Ms. Latsamay Sylavong

Country Representative

IUCN Lao PDR

Tel and Fax : 856 (21) 216401

Mobile : 856(20) 55513 652

Email : [email protected]

IUCN staff

12 Mr. Christoph Muziol

Country Programme Coordinator

IUCN Lao PDR

Tel and Fax : 856 (21) 216401

Mobile : 856(20) 222 1169 Email : [email protected]

IUCN staff

13 Ms. Charlotte Hicks

Programme Officer

IUCN Lao PDR

Tel and Fax : 856 (21) 216401

Mobile : 856(20) 222 1169 Email : [email protected]

IUCN staff

Thailand No.

Org. & Name & Contact address Org. Type Participants’ Background

1 Ms. Achara Vorrathamapinich Manager, Social Affairs

Business

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External Relations Department

PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited

Telephone : 66 2 537 4506, 66 2 537 4000

Fax: 66 2 537 4982

Email: [email protected]

2 Mr. Thongchan Homnetra

Project Manager

Thailand Environment Institute (TEI)

16/151 Muang Thong Thani, Bond Street,Tambon Bnagpood Pakkred, Nonthaburi 11120

Tel. 66 2 503 3333

Email: [email protected]

NGO

3 Ms. Chawee Wongprasitthiporn

Irrigation Engineer

Office of Project Management, Royal Irrigation Department Samsen Rd, Dusit, Bangkok 10300

Mobile : 66 81 866 2147

Email: [email protected]

Govt.

4 Mr. Hannarong Yaowalers Senate Sub-committee on Environment. Water , Wetland and Environmental NGO

9/596 Boutong Village 3 Soi 21/15, Tambon Saotonghin

Bangbuathong, Nonthaburi 11140

Mobile: 66 89 922 6706

Email: [email protected]

NGO Water and Wetland Management

5 Mr. Sansonthi Boonyotayarn Civil Society. Representative from Songkharm River Basin

700/44 Chalermprakiat Rd., Tambon Tadcherngchum

Muang District, Sakonnakorn 47000

Mobile: 66 81 670 8624

Email: [email protected]

NGO

6 Ms. Sukontha Aekaraj Director, Foreign Relations Division

Bureau of International Cooperation

Govt. Environment, Water

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Department of Water Resources

180/3 Rama VI Road, Soi 34 Phayathai, Bangkok 10400

Tel/Fax: 66 2 298 6604

Email: [email protected]

7 Ms. Tuenjai Deetes

Hill Area and Community Development Foundation

129/1 Moo 4, Phakhew Road,

T. Rob -Wiang, Muang District

Chiangrai 57000

Email: [email protected]

NGO

8 Mr. Rattaphon Pitakthepsombat Project Manager, Chi Watershed Restoration Project

WWF, Greater Mekong, Thailand Country Programme

227 Moo 9 Beung Karn, Pang Kon Road,,Bueng Karn Nong Khai 43140

Email : [email protected]

NGO

9 Mr. Prasit Warnset Director Office of Management and Coordination

Chi River Basin Water Resource Regional Office 4

Department of Water Resource

Anamai Rd, Tambol Naimuang, Amphur Muang

Khon Kaen 40000

Tel. 66 43 222 811, 66 89 205 8218

Email: [email protected]

Govt.

10 Dr. Voranuch Wangsuphachart

Department of Social and Environmental Medicine

Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University

420/6 Ratchawithi Rd., Ratchathewi

Bangkok 10400

Email: [email protected]

Lecturer , Mahidol University

11 Mr. Wanlop Preechamart

Biological Diversity Division

Office of Natural Resources and Environmental

Policy and Planning

Govt. Focal Point of Wetland and Biodiversity

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Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

60/1 Soi Piboonwattana 7, Rama VI Rd., Phayathai

Bangkok 10400

Tel/fax No. 66 2 2656636

e-mail: [email protected]

12 Mr. Tawatchai Rattanasorn Project Coordinator, IUCN, Thailand Programme

Asia Regional Office 63 Sukhumvit Soi 39, Sukhumvit Road, Wattana

Bangkok 10110. Thailand Tel: 66 2 262 0529 - 31, ext. 235 Fax : 66 2 262 0563 Mobile : 66 81 972 0472 and 66 81 907 4434 Email: [email protected]

IUCN staff

13 Ms. Radda Larpnun Programme Officer, IUCN, Thailand Programme

AsiaRegionalOffice 63 Sukhumvit Soi 39, Sukhumvit Road, Wattana

Bangkok10110.Thailand Tel 02 262 0529 - 31, ext. 224

Fax022620563 Mobile + 66 85 664 1116

Email: [email protected]

IUCN staff

Vietnam No.

Org. & Name & Contact address Org. Type Participants’ Background

1 Mr. Châu Trần Vĩnh

DeputyDirectorGeneral Department of Water Resource Management (DWRM) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) Hanoi Tel:84439437516 Mob.:84913552383 Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Govt.

2 Mr.HoàngAnhTuấn DeputyDirector Department of Water Resources and Rural Clean Water (DWR) General Irrigation and Water Management Office Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)2 NgocHa,Hanoi,VietNam Tel:84437335603 Email: [email protected]

Govt.

3 Mrs.NguyenThiKyNam Head of Section

Govt.

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Vietnam National Mekong Committee

Hanoi, Vietnam

Tel.84438255594 Fax:84438256929 Mob:84912031723 Email: [email protected]

4 Dr.DươngVănNi Can Tho University

Hanoi,Vietnam Mob:84909987887 Email: [email protected]

University

5 Dr.LêPhátQuới Long An Department of Science and Technology Số 365 Quốc lộ I, phường 4, thị xã Tân An Long An Mob:84903613977 Email: [email protected]

Govt.

6 Mr.NguyễnHoàngViệt WWF Greater Mekong Vietnam Programme D13 Làng Quốc Tế Thăng Long, Cầu Giấy Hà Nội Office:8447193049 Email: [email protected]

NGO

7 Mr.ĐàoTrọngTứ,Chair Vietnam Water Partnership

114 Yen Lac Hanoi Mob: 84913234562 Email: [email protected]

NGO

8 Mr.NguyenDucTu Water and Wetlands Coordinator

IUCNVietnamCountryOffice VillaNo.44/4,VanBaoStreet IPO Box 60

Hanoi,VietNam Tel: 84 4 3 726 1575

Fax: 84 4 3 726 1561

Email: [email protected]

IUCN staff

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INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE ASIA REGIONAL OFFICE 63, Sukhumvit Soi 39 Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel. +66 2 662 4029 Fax +66 2 662 4387