Water governance systems in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam

This is the report of Mekong project 4 on water governance: Challenge Program for Water and Food Mekong.

The analysis report explored the key challenges and weaknesses in implementing sustainable and equitable policies in the hydropower and water resources management sectors in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. It is evident that legal and institutional arrangements have been developed to varying degrees in the three countries. While some issues were commonly observed across all the three countries, others were more country-specific or sector-specific. Specific recommendations to address the overarching challenges in each country/sector have been addressed in the country assessment reports and this gap analysis report to some extent. The report also focus on the “regional picture” and the commonly observed status of water resources development and management in the three countries studied, with a particular reference to building of dams and their environmental and social impacts.