Water governance and youth in the Mekong Region: Some perspectives from a transboundary workshop

Positive energy for collaboration

Given the presence of 34 youth representatives from different water government sectors, we had representatives from all six countries in the Mekong Basin: Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam). Despite the divergence of cultures and nationalities, there was a mutual agreement that the event had created an opportunity for them to work together to achieve sustainable water governance in the Mekong Region.

With a shared interest in the Mekong Region's sustainability, the representatives discussed networking and partnerships while exchanging perspectives about water resource governance.

“I can see a positive future in collaborating for water resource management after attending the workshop,” said a participating member from Vietnam.

I’ve already started brainstorming ideas on how to build a joint action for our centers to share knowledge; we want to connect with our common goal of protecting the region’s water resources

said one representative from Laos.

Water governance and transboundary cooperation

The workshop youth felt more empowered as they learned about the important roles of youth and young professionals in water governance. They met with Khru Tee, a well-known Thai community leader and Director of the Mekong School, which was established to conserve the Mekong River and the livelihoods of local communities.  

Young people have the power to effect change in politics. The concept of thinking beyond the box, looking beyond previous events and political situations, is possible by the future generations,” said Khru Tee, Director of the Mekong School, to the group

said Khru Tee, Director of the Mekong School, to the group.

The representatives said they had gained an insight into how they can promote and support a new way of working within the process of water sector governance in the future. The statement by the Mekong School Director placed an important value on young professionals as the forces for positive change. The message empowered the group to think about how they could make decisions and encourage policymakers to listen to and support young professionals in their respective countries.

“There is a lot of hope placed on young people for the future of water cooperation,” said a youth representative from Cambodia.

The mechanisms for fostering long-term collaboration

The representatives were encouraged to think about long-term collaborations for the youth network. From the workshop sessions, the representatives reflected that they had learned that each one of them has a particular role, distinct experiences, skills, insights, and perspectives in water governance. Therefore, welcoming and appreciating these differences with mutual respect can help to reduce transboundary conflicts.

“Mutual respect is the foundation for people-to-people connections and for building long-term understanding, especially when we start with youth,” said a representative from Cambodia.

“We must first embrace those differences in opinions and different points of view that have often been an obstacle or challenge,” said another young member.

Maintaining a diverse working group indeed requires attentive listening.

Sustainability of the network

A dialogue session called “world café” on the third day of the workshop provided an opportunity for representatives to share their points of view on achieving the network's long-term sustainability.

The representative from China sees the network's longevity to be more influenced by good governance than other factors. Some ideas the groups discussed during the discussions included the need for transparency among regional and basin-level governance, consistent communication, clear accountability through concrete roadmaps, and seeking consensus of purpose by asking what is in the best interest of all parties. Hence, good governance efforts should be considered very important for long-term collaboration.

What next?

The agenda for this three-day event provided some important messages for not just the MLC youth network but for any transboundary cooperation and youth network initiatives. It has also provided some lessons for the Sustainable Mekong Research Network Young Professionals (SYP).

Note

This piece is based on interviews with early career researchers and others from the Mekong Region who joined the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation's 1st Regional Consultation workshop in Chiang Rai, Thailand, during 27-30 October.

*Photo 1: Six flags from the representative countries are laid out at the meeting room's front desk, in Chiang Rai. Photo: Natthawat Laphing.

*Photo 2: Mr. Latsamee Kinglattana, Youth Representative from the Faculty of Water Resource, National University of Laos, during his introduction to the group. Photo: Natthawat Laphing.

*Photo 3: Kru Tee, speaking to the group about the role of youth in water governance at the Mekong School, Chiang Rai. Photo: Natthawat Laphing.

*Photo 4: Presentation during the World Café, members applaud after listening to group presentations. Photo: Natthawat Laphing.

*Photo 5: Group brainstorming during World Café session, on how they can build the MLC youth network. Photo: Variya Plungwatana / SEI Asia.