1. We, H.E. Bun Hean, Secretary of State, Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. E Jingping, Minister of Water Resources, the People's Republic of China, H.E. Sommad Pholsena, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, H.E. Win Khant, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E. Tewan Liptapallop, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Kingdom of Thailand, and H.E. Le Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, gather in Beijing, China, for the Ministerial Meeting of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation. 

2. Recalling that in order to contribute to the economic and social development of sub-regional countries, enhance the well-being of our peoples, narrow the development gap among our countries, support ASEAN Community building, promote the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and advance South-South cooperation, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) has jointly been established by our six countries in March 2016, in recognition of both the Sanya Declaration of the 1st LMC Leaders' Meeting and the Phnom Penh Declaration of the 2nd LMC Leaders' Meeting’s call for enhanced cooperation on sustainable management and utilization of water resources among the LMC countries. 

3. Recognizing water as critical natural resources and valuable assets on which peoples of LMC countries rely for their livelihood, the cooperative strategies and plans on water resources management have been developed in response to socio-economic demands and water-related challenges with the aim at promoting sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development through sustainable management and utilization of water resources. 

4. Recalling that the Five-Year Plan of Action on Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (2018-2022) proposed to carry out top-level design for cooperation among LMC countries in sustainable utilization and strengthen policy dialogue on water resources. 

5. Having exchanged policies, experiences and best practices of national water governance, reviewed the progress of Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation, set course on the future direction of development and prioritized actions under the theme of "Enhancing Water Partnership for Sustainable Development"; 

6. Since the launching of the LMC, our six countries have been working together to implement the decisions of our leaders and bring forward concrete cooperation in the field of water resources. Major results include: 

6.1 The Five-Year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018–2022), jointly formulated by the six member countries as a guiding document for our cooperation, has identified six cooperation areas, each of which is co-led by two member countries. 

6.2 The Joint Working Group (JWG) on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation has been set up by the six member countries as a decision-making coordination body to advance pragmatic cooperation in the field of water resources. 

6.3 The 1st Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum was jointly convened by the six member countries with policy dialogue on water-related issues strengthened, Kunming Recommendations issued, and consensus on our cooperation further consolidated as outcomes. 

6.4 Extensive technical exchanges have been carried out on a wide range of topics, with data and information sharing promoted, including efforts to share hydrological data during the flood season, dozens of cooperative projects jointly prepared and implemented. 

6.5 People-to-people ties have been strengthened. Scholarship programs for higher education of young talents have been established. More than 1,000 officials, experts and scholars from the six countries participated in the technical exchanges and training courses. 

6.6 The Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center (LMC Water Center) has been established in China as a platform to facilitate our cooperation in technical exchanges, research, information sharing and capacity building. The six member countries have been providing strong support to the Center, such as sending experts to work in the Center on a short-term basis. 

6.7 Active steps have been taken to establish partnership with other sub-regional cooperation mechanisms including the Mekong River Commission (MRC), other sub-regional and international organizations such as the World Bank, Asia Development Bank (ADB), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and Global Water Partnership (GWP). A landmark development in this respect is the signature of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between LMC Water Center and MRC Secretariat (MRCS). 

6.8 We appreciate the great support lent by concerned agencies of the six member countries to the Lancang-Mekong water resources cooperation in a way that complements the coordinated and active roles played by the JWG and LMC Water Center. 

7. We note that the water sector in each member country will require more support and attention, in order to cope with the demand of rapid socio-economic development and the continuous advancing of the LMC. 

8. Meanwhile, our six countries are facing common challenges, such as the increasing demand for water, energy and food due to industrialization, urbanization and population growth, frequent occurrence of floods and droughts, and uncertainties brought about by climate change as well as lagging development of water infrastructure and insufficient capacity in water governance. These challenges and our shared goal on prosperity and sustainable development constitute a strategic necessity for our concrete cooperation. 

9. We recognize that improved water governance is essential to addressing these challenges in the context of sustainable development. In particular, an integrated approach should be adopted, taking into account policy, technology, financing, social and environmental issues, in order to promote social inclusion, livelihood improvement, clean and green development. 

10. We will continue to take joint actions to implement the decisions made by our leaders, through policy dialogue, information sharing, experience exchange, capacity building, and partnership development. 

11. We will give full support to the implementation of the Five-Year Action Plan on Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation (2018–2022), will actively seek resources to promote the early implementation of projects proposed by the JWG, and will soon launch pilot projects in promoting livelihood improvement, such as safe drinking water and dam safety. 

12. We, while fully implementing the MOU on the Provision of Hydrological Information of the Lancang River in Flood Season by China to the other five member countries, will strengthen and expand cooperation on data and information sharing among member countries towards comprehensive LMC data and information sharing in the field of water resources. 

13. We will work together to enhance the capacity of the six member countries in prevention and mitigation of water-related disasters and adaptation to climate change through increased investment, improved risk assessment, joint studies, and knowledge sharing. 

14. We will strengthen the dialogue and coordination among member countries on water-related issues, including transboundary issues, and carry out joint studies on major issues of common concerns, and deepen cooperation on emergency management of flood, drought and other disasters. Participatory approach will be further enhanced to raise public awareness of and support to the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation in each member country. 

15. We reiterate that the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation should adhere to the LMC theme of "Shared River, Shared Future", strengthen mutual trust and benefits through thorough and amicable consultation, respect the efforts of each LMC country for improved national water security, work together to jointly build LMC Economic Development Belt, and a community of shared future of peace and prosperity among LMC countries. 

16. We reaffirm that our cooperation will take full consideration of the practical needs of member countries while drawing on the experiences in the region and the rest of the world, advance the progress of water-related Sustainable Development Goals, balance water resources development and protection, facilitate sustainable development in the region and makes active contribution to a successful 3rd LMC Leaders' Meeting to be held in 2020 in Lao PDR. 

17. We encourage the side-by-side development of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation mechanism with other mechanisms, including with MRC and ACMECS, in a mutually reinforcing manner, as well as synergies between the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity and Belt and Road Initiative. We support the LMC Water Center to forge an extensive network of partnership to fully utilize existing expertise and resources and contribute to improved water governance in the region. 

18. We agreed to hold the Ministerial Meeting on a regular and rotation basis and tasked the JWG to maintain close communication on the holding of the next Ministerial Meeting. 

19. We would like to sincerely thank the Government of the People's Republic of China for generously hosting the Ministerial Meeting of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation and would extend our gratitude to all concerned parties for their support.  

20. Adopted in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China, on 17th December, 2019.