The 2ndLancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Forum ran through December 7-8, 2021 with a ministers’opening ceremony and six themed sessions. On the second day, together with Office of the National Water Resourcesof Thailand, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research(IWHR)co-organized the session on “IWRM and Climate Change Adaptation” .Dr. Peng Jing, IWHR Vice President and Dr. Somkiat Apipattanacis, Directorof the Water Resources Technology and Innovation Center of Thailand,addressed the session. Over 100 participantsfrom the six ripariancountries and international organizationsgathered physically or virtually.

In her opening remarks, Dr. PengJingcited the internationally proven observation thatclimate change is dramatically affecting the water cycle, making droughts and floods more extreme and frequent. It is an imperative task for all human kind to address the stark water resources challenges brought by climate change. IWRM, as an important tool to implement the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), has been widely adopted by countries around the world. IWHR is willing to cooperate with Mekong countriesand international organizations to improve IWRM and promote water security and development in the Lancang-Mekong region.

Dr. Somkiat Apipattanacis pointed out that climate change has directly impacted the economic development and the ecological environment in the Lancang-Mekong countries.Integrating the policies of IWRMwith those of climate change management has become a consensus. This forum providesan essential platform for six countries to enhance dialogue and cooperation on IWRM and climate change adaptation.

The meeting was coordinated by the Global Water Partnership China. Presenters were fromCambodia, China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailandand VietNam as well as the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)and the Global Water Partnership (GWP)Southeast Asia. Theyshared experiencesand discussed options of policies, mechanisms, tools, technologies and platformsthat integrate IWRM with climate change adaptation.