Vientiane, 1 July 2024: The Third Steering Committee Meeting of the “Triangular Cooperation on Sustainable Development in the Lower Mekong Basin based on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus”, also known as the RoK-UNOSSC Facility (Phase 3)/P-LINK, was held at the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Steering Committee met to assess the project’s progress in 2023 and approve the planned activities for 2024. At the same time, the meeting facilitated the Steering Committee to lend advice to the project on issues that require key decision-making.
The hybrid event brought together the governing body of the project namely, the RoK’s the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), Mekong River Commission (MRC), the Mekong Institute (MI) and the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI). The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Xiaojun Grace Wang, UNOSSC Trust Fund Director and Ms. Eunyoung Huh, Director of Multilateral Cooperation Division, International Cooperation Bureau, MSIT.
Third Steering Committee Meeting proceedings
As the acting Steering Committee Chair, Ms. Wang emphasized the importance of the decision-making meeting, as the project is proceeding with direct field implementation and the rollout of national pilots. This includes the first pilot inception ceremony for Lao PDR and the upcoming pilot launch events scheduled for the other three countries in Q3 2024. She further requested that the Steering Committee to provide guidance in strategizing sustainability and scalability of the project in the longer term.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Jang thanked partner countries and the Project Team for their collective efforts in final design of four national pilots that align local needs with the most feasible technical solutions. She expressed her hope that the impact of these national pilots, including inspiring human stories from the communities, could be showcased as P-LINK’s best practices. These examples would demonstrate how science, technology, innovation (STI), and digitalization can be harnessed to tackle climate change in the Mekong region.
As the Chairperson of the MRC Joint Committee and a member of the P-LINK Steering Committee representing LMB countries in 2024, Dr. Surasri Kidtimonton, Secretary-General of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) and the Thai National Mekong Committee Secretariat, reiterated that the meeting serves as a milestone to review the project’s progress and advise on the next steps for implementing the pilots. He also recognized P-LINK as a valuable platform for mainstreaming integrated development across various sectors through practical applications of STI, facilitated by policy dialogue, knowledge sharing, and technical transfer via South-South and triangular cooperation.
The meeting proceeded with the reporting of the 2023 work progress by the Project Management and Implementing parties (MRC Secretariat, MI and STEPI). After each reporting, the Steering Committee had a thorough discussion and provided guidance to ensure efficient and effective project implementation in 2024 based on the endorsed work plan.
The Project Management (UNOSSC) and three implementing parties, namely, MRC Secretariat, MI and STEPI reaffirmed their commitment and support to the project. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled to take place in early 2025 after the completion mid-term self-assessment/peer review of the project.
Group photo of in-person participants
This year’s SC meeting took place back-to-back with the official pilot launch ceremonies in Lao PDR and Thailand.