Mekong River Commission

The International Cooperation and Communication Section (ICCS)

As well as providing support to and facilitating MRC Governance meetings, ICCS is charged with meeting the demand for better coordination, cooperation and communication across the Basin. Stronger links to regional initiatives such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Dialogue Partners the People's Republic of China and the Union of Myanmar, and the general donor community are key objectives for the unit.

Stakeholder engagement The Secretariat prepared a draft proposal to establish and implement a MRC Stakeholder Policy at the governance level. The approach identifies synergies between the BDP Stakeholder process and the Governance Bodies Stakeholder process and aims to result in an initiative that communicates clear and consistent messages to stakeholders.

Subsequently, a regional meeting on MRC stakeholder engagement was held on 25 November 2008 in Vientiane, to exchange information between the MRC and Mekong River Basin stakeholders about how the organisation will increase public understanding of the consultation process. The MRC will continue the process and develop its Stakeholder Policy for consideration by the MRC Council in 2009.

Engagement with Development Partners
The annual MRC Informal Donor Meeting was held on 19- 20 June 2008 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Agenda covered discussions on the current developments in the Basin and future perspectives and how MRC can address those in the next three years.

The Meeting discussed increased donor harmonization and considered indicators of success for the MRC for the next three years which include:

• Bringing the principles and concepts of IWRM into practice;
• Defining long-term management functions;
• Continuing to implement riparianisation;
• Reducing technical gaps and making information accessible to decision makers and the public; and
• Developing an open and transparent working culture at the MRC.

The Development Partners acknowledged MRCS efforts in response to current challenges and requested the MRC and NMCs to focus on; hydropower and water diversions; continued MRC reform; MRC ownership by Member Countries and donor harmonisation.

The second session of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council was jointly held with the Thirteenth Meeting of the Donor Consultative Group (DCG) on 7 November 2008 in Vientiane.

The meeting discussed the progress of the BDP and ways that it can be more fully integrated with national relevant line agencies; cooperation between the MRC, the People's Republic of China and the Union of Myanmar, as well as increased cooperation with the Greater Mekong Sub-region initiative (GMS) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Joint Contact Group of Development Partners and Member Country representatives met three times during the year and discussed, among other things; the Permanent Location of the MRC Secretariat; MRCS Organisational Structure; the draft MRC Communication Strategy and Disclosure Policy; the MRC Management and Administration Fee; MRC's regional partnership with financial institutions; MRCS, NMC and NMCS functional descriptions; MRC's Monitoring and Evaluation System; and Donor Harmonisation.

Communications Strategy and Disclosure Policy
The MRC Secretariat has prepared a draft communications strategy for the MRC to guide its communications work for the coming years. This is pursuant to the MRC Strategic Plan 2006-2010, which refers to "an updated communications strategy [that] should be developed to increase understanding and recognition of the MRC in the Basin and internationally".

The original draft of the strategy was written following interviews with MRCS staff, and the representatives of various development partners and stakeholders. Separate consultations were arranged with each National Mekong Committee, and development partners and stakeholders in Bangkok and in Hanoi.

It aims to identify the core clients and target groups of present and future MRC communications and recommend how the MRCS can work towards using communication to accomplishing its aims in cooperation with Member States and stakeholders.

This draft strategy includes a disclosure policy. Both documents are expected to be approved in 2009.

Media and External relations
The Communication Unit serves as the Secretariat's focal point for regional and international media liaison, arranging interviews, supplying information to media and other interested bodies and promoting the MRC and its mission through the production of information materials and support for national and international events. In 2008 the unit arranged interviews with journalists on several occasions, including:

• Viet Nam Television on the 27th Joint Committee meeting;
• Development Today (Norway), Watershed Magazine (TERRA), Inter Press Service (Phnom Penh) on the views of the new CEO;
• Le Monde Diplomatique (Paris) on the MRC role in regional transport;
• A group of journalists from Finland and ARD German Radio (Singapore) on the MRC role in general;
• Bloomberg News (Ho Chi Minh City), Lao National Television and Radio on the August floods;
• Inter Press Service (Bangkok) on the August floods and Hydropower programme;
• Radio Free Asia (Bangkok) on the Hydropower programme; and
• Two press conferences at the Regional Hydropower Consultation.

Website work
In 2008 the Communications Unit instigated a review of the MRC website and defined a terms of reference for a redesign process. Daily flood forecast updates were provided from July to mid-October, and covered the period of intense floods in Lao PDR and Thailand.