Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Is the Tonle Sap in Crisis? Learning the Lessons of History
The royal city of Angkor was unique. A complex system of irrigation channels and reservoirs enabled intensive rice cultivation that supported an estimated population of one million people. At its height, Angkor was the largest city in the pre-industrial world, and is called the world’s first ‘hydraulic city.’[1] Today, only its iconic stone temples and related…
Webinar: An Uncertain Future: Working Towards a Thriving Tonle Sap
The U.S. Department of State and the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership are pleased to announce the second Mekong Virtual Symposium. As part of the U.S. Vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, the U.S. government is committed to providing a platform that encourages information sharing, dialogue, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement for cooperative, responsible management of the Mekong River. The U.S. engagement in the Mekong region has long supported transparent, open cooperation for sustainable management of the river.
This program will engage key stakeholders on the range of issues facing the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia: fishing and fish migration, plastics, floods and droughts, sediment, and dam impacts. As drought and dams have led the Mekong’s flow reversal to happen later and later each year, the Tonle Sap now faces an uncertain future.
Mekong Virtual Symposium: “An Uncertain Future: Working Towards a Thriving Tonle Sap”
Pact Thailand is organizing the second Mekong Virtual Symposium: An Uncertain Future: Working Towards a Thriving Tonle Sap as part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP). This event is open to the public, and interested participants are encouraged to RSVP on https://www.mekongwater.org/mekong-virtual-symposium.
Indo-Pacific Conference on Strengthening Transboundary Rivers Governance
The United States Department of State, in partnership with the East-West Center, will host a virtual Indo-Pacific Conference on Strengthening Transboundary Rivers Governance on October 15-16. The invitation-only conference brings together practitioners, experts, and national and civil society representatives to focus on Enhancing Transparency, Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement. This event includes sessions on "Transparency and Partnerships in Transboundary River Governance," "Negotiating Transboundary River Governance," "Stakeholder Engagement in Transboundary River Governance," and "Next Steps for Strengthening Governance of Transboundary Rivers." Assistant Secretary David Stilwell and U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Michael DeSombre will give opening and closing remarks, respectively.
Using More Renewable Energy in Thailand could save the Mekong and Salween Rivers
Thailand’s energy needs will hugely influence the future of the Mekong and Salween rivers, as its use of renewable energy could reduce demand for hydropower produced by its neighbors. A report published this week by the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) and authored by policy researchers at the Stimson Center foresees a more secure energy future…
How Bangkok Stopped Sinking – and What the Mekong Delta Could Learn
In the 1980s, the city of Bangkok, Thailand, was sinking at a rate of 10 cm a year. Rapid development and uncontrolled pumping of groundwater threatened the imminent collapse of one of the world’s great cities. Today, despite the increased density of buildings and people, Bangkok has slowed its rate of land subsidence to 1…
Mekong-U.S. Partnership at a glance
The Mekong-U.S. Partnership expands cooperation between the United States and the countries of the Mekong region.
Mekong-U.S. Partnership Joint Statement
The United States and Mekong Partner countries released a Joint Statement on the launch of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership.
Secretary of State Pompeo Statement on the launch of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership
Secretary of State Pompeo's statement following the inaugural Mekong-U.S. Partnership Ministerial Meeting notes the common principles, shared priorities, and current challenges facing the Mekong sub-region that form the basis of the longstanding and ongoing cooperation between the United States and the countries in the Mekong sub-region. The United States welcomes this expanded partnership and remains…
Mekong-U.S. Partnership Fact Sheet
The Department of State released a comprehensive Fact Sheet during the launch of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership highlighting accomplishments and identifying next steps in Mekong-U.S. cooperation. New areas of cooperation under the Mekong-U.S. Partnership include expanded support for public health and pandemic response, water data information sharing, countering transnational crime and the trafficking of persons, drugs,…
Deputy Secretary of State Launches new Mekong-U.S. Partnership
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Beigun and the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam launched the Mekong-U.S. Partnership at the first Mekong-U.S. Partnership Ministerial Meeting held online on September 11. The ASEAN Secretary General joined this inaugural meeting. With this new Partnership, the United States and Mekong partner countries are building…
