On April 5, 1995, four lower Mekong countries Laos PDR, Thailand, Cambodia
and Vietnam signed the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development
of the Mekong and The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was born. This is an international
treaty with a noble mission:
“To protect the environment, natural resources, aquatic life and conditions, and ecological balance of the Mekong River Basin from pollution or other harmful effects resulting from any development plans and uses of water and related resources in the Basin.” [Article 3]
The Agreement also outlines the member states' duty to notify, consult and enter in a specific agreement with the others BEFORE any project using Mekong water can proceed, the ONLY exception being intra-basin projects that use river water in rain season. The procedure is known as the PNCPA process. [Article 5]
“To protect the environment, natural resources, aquatic life and conditions, and ecological balance of the Mekong River Basin from pollution or other harmful effects resulting from any development plans and uses of water and related resources in the Basin.” [Article 3]
The Agreement also outlines the member states' duty to notify, consult and enter in a specific agreement with the others BEFORE any project using Mekong water can proceed, the ONLY exception being intra-basin projects that use river water in rain season. The procedure is known as the PNCPA process. [Article 5]
