Phnom Penh: Excellency Watt Botkosal, Deputy Secretary General of the Cambodia National Mekong Committee (CNMC) led the Cambodia National Working Group composed of relevant ministries, including officials from the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Ministry of Planning Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, CNMC Secretariat, HE Advisor of CNMC, Technical Advisor attended the MRC Expert Group Meetings on Strategies and Partnerships and Basin Planning which organized by the MRC Secretariat via online (Zoom). The Meeting was attended by National Working Group of Thailand, Lao PDR and Vietnam and the MRCS Staff led by the CEO and relevant development partner representatives.

The meeting reviewed and discussed: (i) Establishment of the Mekong Fund, which contains a draft of the final concept Note on finding financial options for the Mekong Fund through Multiple partnerships and other sources of funding for the benefits of the 4 Windows 4 including 1. Protect environmental assets 2. Disaster response 3. Support the livelihood of vulnerable groups and 4. water infrastructure enhancement and process (ii) accepted the way forward for conducting case studies on financing mechanisms, including questionnaires to be used, (iii) Proposals for the National Indicative Plans (NIP) 2021-2025 of the 4 MCs. (iv) Reviewed the results of the implementation of joint project on flood and drought management in sub-regions 9C and 9T between Cambodia and Thailand, and (v) List of pipeline projects presented by representatives of the Development Partners that are supporting the Governments of the four member countries.

As a result, the meeting received comments to improve the final concept Note and agreed to allow the Secretariat to continue its work as requested and go on the case study of the financing mechanism related to the establishment of the Mekong Fund, and requested the Secretariat to accept the comments of the meeting to proceed the proposed NIPs from member countries and list of Pipeline projects of the development partners to be compiled  as important for MCs and the development partners for review.