Project Context

The Vietnam National Mekong Committee (VNMC) is the interdisciplinary body responsible for advising the Vietnamese Government on the management and use of water and related resources across the Mekong Basin, including the Cuu Long Delta and the Se San-Srepok River basins. As a River Basin Organisation (RBO), VNMC plays a critical role in coordinating inter-sectoral, inter-provincial, and transboundary water governance in one of Southeast Asia’s most hydrologically complex and climate-vulnerable regions.

To fulfil this mandate, VNMC’s capacity to comprehensively analyse water-related issues and resolve water conflicts, including challenges related to agriculture, aquatics, ecology, climate change, and social inclusion, requires strengthening. This project, commissioned through the Australian Water Partnership, supports VNMC in piloting a community engagement and consultation mechanism for conflict resolution and inclusive water-related decision-making. Climate resilience and Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) are cross-cutting priorities for the pilot.

Objectives

The project aims to:

• Strengthen VNMC’s institutional capacity as a River Basin Organisation by targeted, stakeholder-validated analysis of water-related issues and challenges in the Mekong Delta Region.
• Design, pilot, and institutionalize a community engagement and consultation mechanism that enables VNMC to facilitate transparent, inclusive, and GEDSI-compliant water governance and conflict resolution processes at scale.