The project aims to enhance water governance in the Mekong-Lancang Region through the active participation from youth leaders, and building leadership, knowledge, and capacity of youth/young professional networks working on water resources and river basin management in the region.
Sustainable Mekong Research Network Young Professionals (SYP) team interviewed youth leaders at the Mekong School, Chiang Rai. Photo: Variya Plungwatana / SEI Asia.
In the Mekong-Lancang Region, many projects focus on education, awareness-raising, and capacity-building for youth groups and networks; however, it is often difficult to sustain these efforts beyond volunteerism.
The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) has always been interested in young experts, their capacity and their social contribution to the development and environmental work in the region. As early as in the Sanya Declaration of the First MLC Leaders’ Meeting in 2016, MLC encouraged exchanges among the youth to build a think tank network across the six countries.
Most recently, the joint statement of the Sixth MLC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 8 June 2021 reaffirmed “LMC’s commitment to deepening cooperation in youth to deliver more benefits to the people. Cooperation in education and human resources will be enhanced to help the Mekong-Lancang countries train more science and engineering professionals and a high-caliber and skilled workforce.”
Past event / This workshop on 13-15 November will present project achievements, findings and recommendations for youth leadership in the Lancang-Mekong Region.
Past event / This workshop aims to present the preliminary findings from the review of existing youth networks and initiatives in six Mekong-Lancang Countries.
[Chiang Rai, Thailand]- Around 40 participants from the Lancang-Mekong countries, including government officials and policymakers, youth leaders, researchers, civil society and academic institutions, gathered in Chiang Rai, Thailand for a regional consultation workshop towards building the leadership, knowledge, and capacity of youth and young professionals working on water resources and river basin management in the region.
In the Mekong-Lancang Region, many projects focus on education, awareness-raising, and capacity-building for youth groups and networks; however, sustaining these efforts beyond volunteerism is often difficult.
The Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) has always been interested in young experts, their capacity, and their social contribution to the development and environmental work in the region. As early as in the Sanya Declaration of the First MLC Leaders’ Meeting in 2016, MLC encouraged exchanges among the youth to build a think tank network across the six countries.
Youth from the countries in the Lancang-Mekong Region reimagined the word “home” and what it means to say Lancang-Mekong is our home.
At a recent regional workshop in the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation project, SUMERNET Young Professionals (SYP) interacted with several young water governance professionals and researchers in the Mekong Region. Below are some of their perspectives.
Niwat Roykeaw, also known as Khru Tee is the Director of The Mekong School: Institute of Local Knowledge. Founded in 2015, the school aims to preserve local knowledge about the Mekong and empower local communities in their struggles to preserve their local farming livelihoods.
As part of our work on transboundary cooperation in the Mekong Basin, we visited the “Mekong School” which promotes and conserves local knowledge and helps in co-creating knowledge together with local communities who live along the Mekong River.
SEI Asia, in partnership with the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR), Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, ERIC, and the LMC Water Centre, has launched the Youth Leadership Network for the Mekong region to empower young leaders in advocating for sustainable water management and environmental conservation. This programme enhances their leadership, communication and community engagement skills through workshops, regional consultations and field studies, enabling participants from six countries to collaboratively develop strategies for the Lancang-Mekong basin's water issues. This effort fosters cross-national partnerships and a unified approach to the region's water resource challenges.
The project considers gender equality and social equity throughout its design and implementation. It aims to ensure equal opportunities and benefits for all stakeholders, contributing to achieving SDGs 2, 5, 6, 13, and 17.
Past event / SEI Asia will be leading the panel discussion on youth leadership at Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Week 2026 on 25 March.
Past event / SEI’s Senior Research Fellow Thanapon Piman will contribute to the session at the World Water Day 2026 event on 23 March.
Project / Does granting rivers legal rights help people and nature? This study analyzes the Atrato, Whanganui, and Turag rivers to find fair, effective governance.
