SUMERNET Annual Research and Policy Forum : Leveraging Nexus for Transboundary Cooperation

Rationale:
Water, food, energy and ecosystems are essential for human wellbeing and securing access to these resources in a sustainable manner is fundamental to the continued development that is required to meet all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sectoral policies regarding water, food, energy and ecosystems have significant impacts on one another. Policies and actions of one sector often cause serious but overlooked externalities for other sectors at local, national, regional and global scales. This is especially the case in the context of increasing resource scarcity and associated competition for these vital resources.
Against the backdrop of increasing vulnerability due to climate change, it is even more urgent and imperative to coordinate among the water, food, energy and environment sectors. The nexus approach to managing interlinked resources seeks to enhance water, food and energy security by reducing tradeoffs, building synergies and improving governance while protecting ecosystems. Such an approach helps reconcile different sectoral objectives and supports progress towards the closely interlinked SDGs at the national and regional levels.

In transboundary settings, such as the Lancang – Mekong region addressing trade-offs and externalities between countries can foster trust, be a lever for regional development and help mitigate potential conflicts. A nexus approach to managing common resources could greatly enhance water, food, energy and environment security in riparian countries, leveraging on regional complementarities, and improving natural resource governance.
Using the nexus approach, this year’s research and policy forum will highlight the competing demands within water, food, energy and ecosystems and identify pathways for deepening engagement on the interlinked issues for greater cooperation in the Mekong region.
The forum will foster transboundary dialogue across the nexus sectors – water, food, energy and ecosystems.
Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET) is organizing an event “Leveraging Nexus for
Transboundary Cooperation” as part of the Annual Meeting 2022.
SUMERNET comprises of the network members (SNMs) from the six Lancang-Mekong countries and the Steering Committee (SSC) representing network members with the technical support of the SUMERNET Secretariat hosted at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Asia Centre, Bangkok

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