Water-related challenges are complex, intertwined, intersectoral and often transboundary in nature. Addressing issues of this magnitude and complexity requires moving beyond individual project implementation towards more collaborative approaches that combine policy level priorities, technical expertise and practical lessons to co-develop meaningful solutions.

The second Joint Steering Committee (JSC) Meeting under the memorandum of understanding between Thailand’s Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), held on 20 August 2026 at SEI Asia, provided a key opportunity to reflect on their institutional collaboration for water-related challenges. At this meeting, SEI and ONWR jointly identified priorities, reviewed progress on actions, and shaped the next phase of cooperation to address water and climate issues in Thailand, the Greater Mekong Region (GMS) and ASEAN.

Taking stock of research and partnership activities

In 2025 and 2026, the ONWR-SEI partnership progressed from shared commitments to joint action across three themes: research, knowledge exchange, and partnership development. The partnership’s collaborative research initiatives included the completion of the Water Tenure Assessment, Accounting Roadmap and Water Scarcity Action Plan supported by FAO, as well as Joint Community Research on Climate Change Adaptation in Bung Khla, Thailand undertaken with MRC and ONWR.

Beyond research, SEI and ONWR jointly contributed on nine regional and international events during this period to provide a solid foundation for sustained partnership. These events included Mekong Environmental Resilience Week, the P-LINK Regional Stakeholder Forum, Regional knowledge exchange on water storage management, the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, and World Water Day.

This institutional arrangement also enables cooperation and collaboration across relevant Thai water agencies and partners, bringing together scientific and technical expertise alongside sectoral knowledge and implementation experience. A key highlight of this ongoing cooperation is the project on wetland monitoring that brings together the Department of Water Resources (DWR) institutional mandate with SEI’s expertise in remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and the application of the Wetland Monitoring tool to strengthen approaches for monitoring wetland health and integrate the knowledge into planning and decision-making.

Bringing cooperative implementation and co-design to bear

Joint implementation is key to this partnership to develop technical approaches, strengthen capacities, and engage local communities and key stakeholders for high impact on the ground. Three incoming projects funded by Lancang Mekong Cooperation’s Special Fund will provide a platform and opportunity to promote cooperation between Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR and China, aiming to translate into tangible actions and benefits for local people. These projects include strengthening urban community resilience to flash floods in Sai and Ruak transboundary river basins, a water sector youth leadership network for practical solutions, and the Heung Transboundary IWRM project.

Co-design is also central to SEI and ONWR’s partnership, bringing together ONWR’s policy mandate and Thai national water-related priorities with SEI’s research on policy expertise and regional networks. Co-design approaches are being utilized to develop a project in Nan River Basin (NAN nexus) using databases and scientific tools to monitor and analyze water-related conditions, as well as develop approaches to assess loss and damage from floods. These efforts would support long-term planning for flood prevention, risk reduction and resilience building. ONWR also proposed expanding collaboration on the application of the Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning (WEAP) tool to support water scenario analysis, assessment of policy options, and review of the 20-Year Water Resources Management Master Plan (2018–2037).

Future priorities for SEI and ONWR’s partnership

The Joint Steering Committee operates as a strategic guiding mechanism for review, learning, and refining SEI and ONWR’s joint work program. Lessons learnt from the first year of implementation have successfully informed the design and revision of the work program, including future priority projects, mechanisms of regional cooperation, and key policy processes to engage with. The work program provides a dynamic framework for continued collaboration, while exchange visits, joint engagement with development partners, and co-development of proposals create opportunities to enhance successful outcomes and scale their impact.

Six shared priorities were identified during the Joint Steering Committee meeting that will guide the future of this partnership:

• Enhancing integrated water resources management through advanced basin-level planning, water accounting, and decision-support tools.
• Strengthening flash flood forecasting and early warning systems through the application of digital technologies and smart monitoring systems.
• Applying nature-based solutions (NbS) to strengthen the capacity of local communities and market value chains to cope with and adapt to climate change.
• Strengthening resilience in shared river basins and ecosystems by advancing transboundary cooperation to address water quality issues and enhance ecosystem health.
• Enhancing youth and community leadership by building a water sector youth leadership network and promoting community-based research to generate practical, locally owned, and self-sustaining solutions.
• Developing collaborative ideas and diversifying partnerships and funding through engagement with development partners, foundations, and the private sector – such as ASEAN–New Zealand Vision Fund, Mekong Fund/MRC Ecosystem Window, Asia Water Council, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Special Fund, and the Gates Foundation – to maximize impact and foster long-term cooperation.