water governance — Publications — Center for Social Development Studies

Publication date:
August 2021

Publication:
Strengthening Water Diplomacy Through Water Data Sharing and Inclusive Evidence-Based Transboundary Governance

Authors:
Carl Middleton, Anisa Widyasari, Kanokwan Manorom, David J. Devlaeminck, Apisom Intralawan

Download the report here.

In transboundary river basins, water data and information sharing are the foundation of trust building, evidence-based cooperation and water diplomacy between riparian states, and also with non-state actors including riparian communities and civil society. This research report examines what options exist for improved evidence-based transboundary water governance in the Mekong-Lancang basin building from recent improvements in basin-wide water data sharing. It presents a review of international best practice on water data sharing in international law, outlines existing institutionalized water data sharing arrangements in the Mekong-Lancang basin, analyzes how the availability of water data and its analysis influenced hydropolitics and geopolitics during the 2019-2020 drought, and presents recent empirical evidence from North and Northeast Thailand on riparian communities’ access to water data. The report concludes by identifying policy options on three themes: comprehensive and accessible scientific water data; diversity of water knowledge; and deepening water diplomacy and institutionalizing transboundary accountability.

Please contact Dr. Carl Middleton for more information.

Citation: Middleton, C., Widyasari, A., Manorom, K., Devlaeminck, D.J. and Intralawan, A. (2021) Strengthening water diplomacy through water data sharing and inclusive evidence-based transboundary governance. August, 2021. Center for Social Development Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, and Cambodia Development Research Institute: Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

This report is part of our project Water Diplomacy in the Mekong Basin. You can visit the project page here.

Lancang Mekong Cooperation Policy Brief Nov 2018-1.jpg

Publication date:
November 2018

Publication:
Reciprocal Transboundary Cooperation on the Lancang-Mekong River: Towards an Inclusive and Ecological Relationship

Download the policy brief here.

Visit the Water governance and knowledge production on the Lancang-Mekong River project page here.

Author:
Carl Middleton

Summary
It is now two and a half years since the first Lancang Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders’ summit was held in Sanya city in Yunnan Province, China. During this period, the LMC has become increasingly institutionalized. The overarching ambition of the LMC is to deepen economic, cultural and political ties between China and mainland Southeast Asia. This policy brief assesses emerging principles for transboundary water cooperation under the LMC, in particular the concept of reciprocity that expands upon the UN Water Courses Convention. It also assesses the role of the LMC vis-a-vis the Mekong River Commission in transboundary water governance. The analysis concludes that as the LMC becomes a more consolidated institution, a genuine and equal partnership for the Lancang-Mekong River cooperation is needed that could build upon principles of “inclusive reciprocity” between state and non-state actors, and “ecological reciprocity” that recognizes the need for an ecologically healthy Lancang-Mekong River.