By the Community Information Centre Foundation (CRC), with IUCN’s support through the Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) programme.
On May 27, 2026, a roundtable meeting was held Nong Khai Province, Thailand, to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and civil society organizations, youth networks, researchers, environmental practitioners, local communities, and partner organisations from the four Mekong River Basin countries: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Supported by IUCN’s BRIDGE grant, the NGO Community Information Centre Foundation (CRC), together with the Mekong River Basin Community Council Network Association of 7 Northeastern Provinces (ComNetMekong) and the Ubon Ratchathani Mekong River Flood and Dam Monitoring Group, prepared the Action Plan on Gender and Policy Recommendations: Integrating Women’s Voices into Mekong River Management, developed through consultations with women leaders and communities along the Mekong River from seven north-eastern provinces of Thailand.
Chalermsri Prasertsri, a lawyer from the Community Information Center Foundation (CRC), who submitted the document, stated that it reflects the voices, real experiences, and concerns of communities affected by fluctuating water levels, declining fisheries resources, riverbank erosion, flooding, drought, ecosystem degradation, as well as the impacts of hydropower dam projects and transboundary changes throughout the Mekong River basin.
She urged the MRC to open processes for community participation. Then, women should be given a role in managing the Mekong River. Although the MRC has the PNPCA (Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement, a key mechanism for regulating water resource use and infrastructure development to prevent transboundary impacts), the problem with this regulation in the past has been that it only focused on gathering concerns without reflecting on solutions.
“Despite past instances of dam construction and meetings presenting serious impacts on downstream communities, these suggestions were not incorporated into the solutions. Therefore, I would like to propose that the MRC engage in more genuine community consultations and participation,” said Chalermsri.
Chalermsri further emphasized that women along the Mekong River are not just affected but are on the front lines caring for their families, food systems, livelihoods, natural resources, and community. Women play crucial roles as communicators, community leaders, environmental protectors, water quality monitors, and custodians of local knowledge. However, women’s voices have not been adequately heard in the decision-making process regarding the Mekong River.
Communities also expressed serious concerns about the risks of transboundary pollution, particularly from upstream mining activities in Myanmar. This could affect water quality, ecosystems, health, and food security for people throughout the Mekong River basin. At the same time, these impacts could be exacerbated when combined with the cumulative impacts from dams, sediment loss, and climate change.
“Now we’re finding fish with bumps, and arsenic contamination has been detected. There are many types of heavy metal pollutants, which have serious health consequences. We want more investigation and disclosure of information because tens of millions of people are affected by water usage. This is a matter of great concern to everyone.”
Following this, Chalermsri, representing the network, submitted a letter to Ms. Busadee Santipitak, CEO of MRC, urging MRC to play a stronger role in meaningfully involving communities and women, transparent environmental monitoring and disclosure, transboundary impact assessment, the application of the precautionary principle, and the protection of the rights, health, livelihoods, and future of people in the Mekong River basin.
“It may not be a solution that will provide an answer within 7 days, but it must lay the groundwork for short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions. I think this is an approach we can all see through together, and I would like to thank everyone involved,” said the CEO of MRC.
Ms. Busadee further added that MRC’s policy is create sustainability for the Mekong River. The Mekong River has always existed as it has; we cannot move it. But it is something we must share – a shared river, a shared heritage, shared prospects – leading to sustainability in terms of prosperity, well-being, and a way of life that we must conserve. We must adapt to the changing circumstances, as there are things we can and cannot control, whether it’s climate change or accumulated problems that we must work together to solve in accordance with the changing context.
“But having a platform to acknowledge problems, build understanding, and find solutions together, I think, stems from a shared intention and mindset to solve problems sustainably. Therefore, the issues you mentioned regarding sustainable environmental conservation are the core principles that we must address together.”
The impacts of dam construction and other structures on quality of life, fisheries, agriculture, irrigation, and sedimentation must be considered. Regarding water quality, the CRC team has been supporting increased water quality monitoring with requesting countries in the Mekong River basin, using expertise and scientific capabilities to help propose solutions.
“These things reflect that they cannot be solved by a single mechanism. It requires collaborative work based on dialogue, understanding, and finding solutions together. This is what I want to see happen today, and I am ready to listen to constructive suggestions and opinions,” Ms. Busadee stated.
Read the original article in Thai here.
