Public Disclosure Authorized Supporting riparian countries of the Mekong River Basin and Public Disclosure Authorized related stakeholders to align their development goals and natural resources management activities more closely towards long-term sustainability in the context of emerging challenges. Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized 95° E 100° E 105° E 110° E Mekong THE MEKONG RIVER BASIN Land area at a Glance MEKONG RIVER Vietnam 9% (referred to as Lancang in China) China 18% BASIN BOUNDARY 30° N UPPER LANCANG BASIN 30° N Cambodia 1 21% Myanmar 3% RIVERS n% PERCENT FLOW CONTRIBUTION 795,000 km² NATIONAL CAPITALS Basin area: 795,000 km² INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARIES Lao PDR 25% Mainstream length: 4,909 km Thailand 24% 0 100 200 300 400 500 Annual discharge: 475 km³ KILOMETERS 25° N 25° N The Mekong River is the 11th longest river CHINA Population in the world, and its characteristics are China 10% Myanmar 1% integral components of the subregion’s Vietnam 16% Lao PDR complex hydro-geopolitical economy. MYANMAR 28% 9% >70 million Draining an area of 795,000 km² and discharging 2% HANOI LAO PDR people 475 km³ of water annually, it stretches over 4,909 NAYPYIDAW 20° N Gulf of 20° N km from the Tibetan Plateau to the sea. However, Tonkin Cambodia 35% 20% most of the water in the Mekong River system comes Thailand 32% VIENTIANE from the Lower Mekong Basin (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam) with China contributing 16 percent of the total annual water discharge. While THAILAND GDP 90 percent of Lao PDR and 86 percent of Cambodia VIETNAM Vietnam 16% China 16% 18% land areas lie within the basin, these two countries 15° N 15° N Myanmar <1% only account for 25 percent and 21 percent BANGKOK Lao PDR 7% CAMBODIA Cambodia US$167 respectively of the overall basin area. 14% Tonle 18% Sap 11% billion Andaman PHNOM Sea China Myanmar Lao PDR Thailand Cambodia Vietnam PENH Thailand 46% The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on 10° N this map do not imply, on the part of Gulf of g 10° N n The World Bank Group, any judgment o Upper Lancang Basin Lower Mekong Basin Thailand k a on the legal status of any territory, or e l t e any endorsement or acceptance of M D Mekong River Basin such boundaries. 95° E 100° E 105° E 110° E er ancang asin Loer Mekong asin China Manmar Lao hailan Camboia Vietnam 1.9% 3.2% 89.9% 35.7% 85.6% 21.4% 16.9 m Ha 2.4 m Ha 23.8 m Ha 22.3 m Ha 19.7 m Ha 8.3 m Ha Land area 0.5% 1.2% 93.5% 32% 86.2% 20.8% 7.1 m 0.7 m 7.1 m 19.5 m 17.4 m 19.4 m Population 0.2% 1.1% 95.9% 12% 85.7% 12.6% GDP US$27.8b US$0.8b US$17.4b US$65.2b US$23.2b US$33.0b Infographic by World Bank Disruptive KIDS (Knowledge, Information & Data Services) Helpdesk [Aminul Islam]. Data disaggregated to determine proportional basin level estimates using GIS processing with current numbers calculated based on most recent available data (https://data.worldbank.org/). Land area derived from European Space Agency (ESA) 2009; Population estimated derived from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) 2020; GDP estimates derived from World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG) 2010. WATER SUPPLY for more than 70 million people living in the Basin. FISHERIES contributing significantly to the region’s food security and economy valued at around US$17 billion in 2015; vital source of animal protein (e.g. 75% in Cambodia). THE MEKONG RIVER IS AN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE grew to in excess of 5.7 million hectares in 2013, with a total yearly value of US$7.7 billion in the IMPORTANT PART OF THE Lower Mekong Basin (LMB). GEOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL LANDSCAPE NAVIGATION – Transporting ≈ 22.9 million tons of OF THE REGION. cargo volume and ≈ 70 million passengers in the LMB. It flows through six riparian countries (China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam) and provides ENERGY – Providing annual hydroelectricity production of support to many economic sectors in this subregion including more than 93,047 GWh with hydropower benefits ranging from agriculture, fisheries, energy, navigation, and trade. US$6-32 billion. Moreover, the river is at the center of many other social and cultural considerations, often with competing demands for – One of the richest in biodiversity with ecosystems water and other natural resources. ECOSYSTEMS that provide important services; home to roughly 1,000 species of fish and 20,000 plant species. RECREATION & AMENITY – Tourism is increasingly emerging as an important contributor to economic growth and GDP in the subregion: 23.3 percent in Yunnan, 13.5 percent in Cambodia, and nearly 10 percent in Thailand in 2015. Source: Hydropower dams of the Mekong River basin: A review of their hydrological impacts. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.10.045. WLE, 2016. Dataset on the Dams of the Irrawaddy, Mekong, Red and Salween River Basins. Vientiane, Lao PDR: CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems - Greater Mekong THE MRC COUNCIL STUDY: Report for Navigation Thematic Area. Mekong River Commission, State of the Basin Report 2010, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2018. Asia Development Bank, Greater Mekong Subregion Tourism Sector Strategy 2016 – 2025, 2017 Emerging 2 Challenges - Rapid growth, changing demographics and urbanization Over the past 30 years, the economy of the Mekong subregion has expanded greatly, with the annual GDP increases of the riparian countries ranging between approximately 5 and 9.5 percent. The subregion is also experiencing rapid urbanization. Vientiane’s population nearly quadrupled between 2008 and 2017, and more than 50 percent of the estimated 293 million people living in Yunnan, China and the lower Mekong countries could reside in urban areas by 2050. - Competing interests and cumulative impacts of development As populations and economies grow, water and natural resources are under increasing and often competing demands. The development activities in the Region have led to significant environmental challenges. Cumulative impacts of development on water and other natural resources, the economy and society put the long-term sustainability of the Mekong Region at risk. - Increasing uncertainty due to climate change The Mekong River Basin is especially exposed to climate change impacts, with recent studies indicating an expected increase in temperature of 0.79 degrees Celsius by 2030 and an increase in annual precipitation of over 15 percent. Flood and drought risks are increasing and affecting the livelihoods of millions of people in the Mekong River Basin. Water levels were recorded at their lowest ever in mid-2019, while heavy monsoon rains in 2018 led to the displacement of 6,600 families in Lao PDR. - A growing number of cooperation frameworks There are more than thirteen regional cooperation frameworks that provide a strong foundation for regional coordination and cooperation. However, existing coordination principles have not been consistently followed by riparian states and coordination fora face multiple difficulties in aligning states’ different interests and activities. Objectives of The World Bank Group (WBG) has a long history of regional engagement and is heavily invested in the Mekong River Basin. Starting in 1998 with funding from the Global Environment Facility, the Water Utilization Program (WUP) supported the establishment of the Mekong River Commission Mekong Vision 3.0 (MRC). In 2008, a follow-on Mekong Integrated Water Resources Management (M-IWRM) Program was developed, including further support to MRC coupled with three national water resources management projects in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. In total, the WBG currently has roughly 3 100 on-going activities and an investment portfolio amounting to about US$12 billion at the national level. As the M-IWRM program comes to completion in 2021, the Mekong Vison 3.0 represents the next World Bank regional engagement. Drawing on the WBG’s multi-disciplinary, transboundary waters expertise and in partnership with all riparian countries and other key stakeholders, Mekong Vison 3.0 aims to catalyze shared understanding for better resource utilization and set forth new directions for regional cooperation. Building on the key pillars of the recently concluded WBG-UN High Level Panel on Water, the Mekong Vision Stocktaking and an analysis of the prevailing Phase 3.0 is organized around “understanding, valuing, and geo- and hydro-political economy of the Mekong 1 managing the Mekong” and includes three phases. subregion. In the short- Understanding the Mekong to medium- Greater understanding of the physical, socio- term economic and geo-political landscape. Technical engagement on economic valuation and benefit sharing through quantifying the benefits and Phase determining the necessary conditions needed to 2 Valuing the Mekong manage these benefits among the riparian countries. Better appreciation of the benefits and costs associated with development across the water-using sectors including environmental and cultural aspects. Enhancing future cooperation among the riparian Managing the Mekong countries through the introduction of economic Phase In the longer- Facilitating prioritization of investments and piloting instruments towards a more resilient development of 3 term incentive mechanisms for benefit sharing among the Mekong River Basin and protection of the water riparian countries. resources base. Resilient Economies, Societies & Disaster Risk Reduction Water Infrastructure & Universal Access Catalyzing Investment to Safe Water & Change, Building Sanitation Partnerships & International Cooperation Water & the Sustainable Environment Cities & Human Settlements Region The Mekong River Basin and Subregion Stakeholders Riparian country governments, Regional institutions, Development partners, CSOs and NGOs Focus Building trust, informing decision making, enhancing cooperation on long- term sustainability, and promoting regionally-shared prosperity Mekong Vision 3.0.