Strengthening cross-border cooperation for water, energy and food security in transboundary basins during a time of climate change lies at the heart of a conference that is being held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 2 and 3.
The event, which shapes part of the second Summit of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), has drawn 300 scientists and experts from home and abroad to discuss sustainable development of the aforesaid resources by 2015 and the post-2015 agenda.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai underscored the Mekong River as the most valuable property granted by nature to regional countries.
However, while the water supply is limited, the demand to utilise it for socio-economic development is increasing. This, along with the impacts of climate change altogether, has damaged the water source, Lai warned.
Fritz Holzwarth, a senior marine policy expert of the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building, and Nuclear Security highlighted the inextricable connection between water, energy and food, which need equal concern in order to obtain environmental sustainable development.
Participants also talk about strategies for climate change adaptation, the role of groundwater utilisation in achiving sustainability, and the level of cross-border cooperation required to resolve climate change impacts.
As a member of the commission, Vietnam , along with its peers, has worked out instructions on building international-standard hydropower plants.
The second Summit of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is scheduled for April 5 in Ho Chi Minh City .
Themed “Cooperation for Water, Energy and Food Security in Transboundary Basins under a Changing Climate”, the meeting aims to inspire the highest commitment of member states to regional cooperation in the area.
It will also define priority areas for the MRC in the immediate future, especially in ensuring water, energy and food security and lessening the impacts of climate change.
The MRC was set up in Chieng Rai, Thailand on April 5, 1995 with four member countries, namely Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The first MRC Summit was held in Hua Hin , Thailand on April 5, 2010.-VNA
The event, which shapes part of the second Summit of the Mekong River Commission (MRC), has drawn 300 scientists and experts from home and abroad to discuss sustainable development of the aforesaid resources by 2015 and the post-2015 agenda.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai underscored the Mekong River as the most valuable property granted by nature to regional countries.
However, while the water supply is limited, the demand to utilise it for socio-economic development is increasing. This, along with the impacts of climate change altogether, has damaged the water source, Lai warned.
Fritz Holzwarth, a senior marine policy expert of the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building, and Nuclear Security highlighted the inextricable connection between water, energy and food, which need equal concern in order to obtain environmental sustainable development.
Participants also talk about strategies for climate change adaptation, the role of groundwater utilisation in achiving sustainability, and the level of cross-border cooperation required to resolve climate change impacts.
As a member of the commission, Vietnam , along with its peers, has worked out instructions on building international-standard hydropower plants.
The second Summit of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is scheduled for April 5 in Ho Chi Minh City .
Themed “Cooperation for Water, Energy and Food Security in Transboundary Basins under a Changing Climate”, the meeting aims to inspire the highest commitment of member states to regional cooperation in the area.
It will also define priority areas for the MRC in the immediate future, especially in ensuring water, energy and food security and lessening the impacts of climate change.
The MRC was set up in Chieng Rai, Thailand on April 5, 1995 with four member countries, namely Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The first MRC Summit was held in Hua Hin , Thailand on April 5, 2010.-VNA
