The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an international organization that works directly with the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to jointly manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong River. Its mission is "To promote and coordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries' mutual benefit and the people's well-being."

History

The Mekong Committee was created because of the history of colonialism in Indochina and later political changes. From the 1950s, the countries along the Mekong River had many changes in their politics, society, and economy. At that time, the Mekong River was described as "the only large river in the world, besides the Amazon, that had not been used much for development." The idea of working together on the Mekong River began after the 1954 Geneva Conference, which gave Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam independence from France. In 1957, a United Nations report called Development of Water Resources in the Lower Mekong Basin suggested building 90,000 kilometers of irrigation systems and 13.7 gigawatts of electricity from five dams. Based on this report, the "Committee for Coordination on the Lower Mekong Basin" (later called the Mekong Committee) was formed in September 1957 with a set of rules. The United Nations wanted to create a model for international cooperation, and the committee operated under the United Nations with help from the United Nations Development Programme.

The United States supported the committee because it worried that poverty in the region might help communist movements grow. In 1956, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation studied the Mekong River's potential. In 1962, a U.S. geographer named Gilbert F. White wrote a report that influenced decisions to delay building a large dam called the Pa Mong Dam, which would have displaced many people. The U.S. also played a role through people like General Raymond Wheeler and C. Hart Schaaf, who worked with the committee. President Lyndon Johnson said the committee could be as important as the Tennessee Valley Authority in the U.S. However, the U.S. stopped funding the committee in 1975 and did not support it again for many years due to trade restrictions on Cambodia and Vietnam. Some countries, like those in Europe and Japan, helped fund the committee instead.

The Mekong Committee focused on building large dams and other projects. In 1970, a plan called the Indicative Basin Plan aimed to build 30,000 kilometers of irrigation systems and many development projects by the year 2000. This plan was created after people criticized the committee for working on small projects and losing support. For example, Thailand, usually the biggest supporter, did not give the committee any money in 1970. The plan listed many projects for international donors to choose from, but few long-term projects were completed because of political changes, including the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Only one dam, the Nam Ngum Dam in Laos, was built outside Thailand, and its electricity was sold to Thailand.

Between 1958 and 1975, the committee tried to expand its role, but not all countries agreed. In 1975, the committee adopted a 35-article agreement that banned countries from using Mekong water without permission from others. However, no meetings happened in 1976 or 1977 because Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam had new governments.

After Cambodia's government, led by the Khmer Rouge, became fearful and suspicious of outsiders, the other three countries created the Interim Mekong Committee in 1978. This weaker group only studied projects and did small tasks, like helping with farming and fishing in Laos and Thailand. In 1987, a new plan called the Revised Indicative Basin Plan suggested smaller dams along the Mekong River. This plan also helped Cambodia return to the committee. Cambodia asked to join again in 1991.

Cambodia's return was not the main issue. Thailand, which had grown economically faster than its neighbors, wanted more control over the Mekong River and opposed limits on its power. Thailand and the other countries disagreed on whether Cambodia should return under old rules or create a new system. Thailand wanted to build a dam called the Kong-Chi-Moon Project without Vietnam's approval. A rule in the 1975 agreement requiring all countries to agree on major projects caused problems. In 1992, Thailand forced the committee's leader to leave the country, which led to talks organized by the United Nations. This effort resulted in the Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin in 1995, creating the Mekong River Commission (MRC).

Governance

The MRC is managed by its four member countries through the Joint Committee and the council. Each country has one member on the Joint Committee, who are usually high-level government officials in charge of government departments. The Joint Committee meets two to three times each year to review budgets and important plans. The council includes cabinet ministers, and it meets once a year.

The MRC Secretariat provides technical and administrative support. The Secretariat is located in Vientiane, Laos, and has more than 120 employees, including scientists, administrators, and technical workers. A chief executive officer leads the Secretariat.

In April 2010, the Mekong River Commission held a meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand. All six countries along the Mekong River attended, including China, Burma (Myanmar), Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

From its start until 1995, the organization was led by an "executive agent." Since 1995, it has been led by chief executive officers (CEOs).

• C. Hart Schaaf, Executive Agent, 1959 – November 1969
• Willem van der Oord, Executive Agent, December 1969 – June 1980
• Bernt Bernander, Executive Agent, July 1980 – 1983
• Galal Magdi, Executive Agent, 1983–1987
• Chuck Lankester, Executive Agent, 1988–1990
• Jan Kamp, Executive Agent, 1990–1995
• Yasunobu Matoba, CEO, 1995 – August 1999
• Jörn Kristensen, CEO, October 1999 – 2004
• Olivier Cogels, CEO, July 2004 – 2007
• Jeremy Bird, CEO, 2008–2010
• Hans Guttman, CEO, 2011
• Pham Tuan Phan, CEO, 2016–2018
• An Pich Hatda, CEO, 2019–

Relations with China and Myanmar

The Mekong River Commission and its earlier groups did not include China (which was not a United Nations member in 1957) or Myanmar (which does not rely heavily on the Mekong River), even though their countries contain the upper part of the river. The SERVIR Mekong Project is a partnership between USAID, NASA, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar. This project uses modern technology to help protect the Mekong River region’s environment. Although China provides only 16–18 percent of the Mekong’s water, melting ice from the Tibetan Plateau becomes more important during dry seasons. In 1995, a ceremonial boat trip from Thailand to Vietnam, meant to celebrate a river agreement, ran aground because China had filled a reservoir at the Manwan Dam. China and Myanmar became "dialogue partners" of the MRC in 1996 and gradually joined its meetings, but a 1999 report said they were unlikely to join the MRC soon.

In April 2002, China started sharing daily water level information with the MRC during floods. Critics said this focus on flood control ignored concerns about dry season water levels. In July 2003, the MRC’s leader, Joern Kristensen, reported that China agreed to reduce plans to remove river obstacles by completing only the first phase of its Upper Mekong Navigation Improvement Project. However, China’s future plans in this area remain unclear. China has been unwilling to share details about how its dams operate, not just water levels, and avoided joining emergency meetings in 2004. In 2005, China agreed to hold direct talks with the MRC. On June 2, 2005, the MRC’s leader, Dr. Olivier Cogels, and a team visited Beijing to discuss cooperation. These talks led to China providing 24-hour water level and 12-hour rainfall data for flood forecasts in exchange for monthly flow data from the MRC. China’s interest in cooperating on the Mekong is limited because the Salween River offers an easier commercial route for Yunnan province, requiring only negotiations with Myanmar instead of four countries. Some media and officials suggest that China joining the MRC would solve problems with the Mekong’s overdevelopment, but there is no evidence that China’s membership would allow downstream countries to challenge its plans, given China’s strong influence.

The MRC has been cautious about expressing concerns about China’s dam projects. For example, in a letter to the Bangkok Post, MRC leader Dr. Olivier Cogels stated that Chinese dams might increase dry season water levels because they are built for electricity, not irrigation. While this could be true, future Chinese dam policies are likely to be decided without input from downstream countries. Some people believe the MRC’s leaders have not strongly opposed China’s dam projects, leading to criticism that the MRC allows China’s dam-building efforts to continue unchecked.