ANALYZING THE RIVER BASIN ORGANIZATIONS IN THE MULTI-TRACK WATER DIPLOMACY FRAMEWORK: THE CASE STUDY OF MEKONG RIVER COMMISSION.
Abstract
This paper examines the Mekong River Commission (MRC) through the lens of multi-track water diplomacy, which involves formal and informal efforts to manage shared water resources. The MRC is evaluated across all four tracks—governmental (Track 1), semi-official (Track 1.5), non-governmental (Track 2), and people-to-people (Track 3)—demonstrating how it facilitates cooperation among riparian countries and stakeholders. The analysis concludes that the MRC exemplifies a river basin organization capable of implementing comprehensive water diplomacy. The paper suggests further research on other RBOs to assess the broader impact of this framework on conflict resolution and cooperative water management.
References
Barua, A. (2018). Water diplomacy as an approach to regional cooperation in South Asia: A case from the Brahmaputra basin. Journal of Hydrology, 567, 60-70.
Blumstein, S., & Schmeier, S. (2017). Disputes over international watercourses: Can river basin organizations make a difference?. In Management of Transboundary Water Resources under Scarcity: A Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 191-236).
Huntjens, P., Yasuda, Y., Swain, A., de Man, R., Magsig, B. O., & Islam, S. (2016). The multi-track water diplomacy framework: A legal and political economy analysis for advancing cooperation over shared waters.
Jaspers, F. G. (2003). Institutional arrangements for integrated river basin management. Water policy, 5(1), 77-90.
Johnston, R., & Kummu, M. (2012). Water resource models in the Mekong Basin: a review. Water Resources Management, 26, 429-455.
Kittikhoun, A., & Staubli, D. M. (2018). Water diplomacy and conflict management in the Mekong: From rivalries to cooperation. Journal of Hydrology, 567, 654-667.
Mapendere, J., 2008. Track one and a half diplomacy and the complementarity of tracks. Available at:. Cult. Peace Online J. 2 (1), 66–81. http://peacemaker.un.org/sites/ peacemaker.un.org/files/TrackOneandaHalfDiplomacy_Mapendere.pdf.
Mekong Partnership for the Environment. (2016). Pact. https://www.pactworld.org/mekong-partnership-environment
Mekong Water Data Initiative | Mysite. (n.d.). Mysite. https://www.mekongwater.org/mwdi
MRC. (2015). Mekong River Commission Strategic Plan 2016-2020. Vientiane: Mekong River Commission.
Pearson, L. (2020). The need to move from water government to water governance involving civil society.
Water Diplomacy | GWP Toolbox. (2021). Water Diplomacy | GWP Toolbox. https://www.gwptoolbox.org/learn/iwrm-tools/water-diplomacy
Wehrenfennig, D. (2008). Multi-track diplomacy and human security. Human Security Journal, 7, 80-88.
Wolf, A. T. (1998). Conflict and cooperation along international waterways. Water policy, 1(2), 251-265.
Yasuda, Y., Hill, D., Aich, D., Huntjens, P., & Swain, A. (2018). Multi-track water diplomacy: current and potential future cooperation over the Brahmaputra River Basin. Water international, 43(5), 642-664.
