MRC JC Working Group Meeting (April 21, 2022)

Phnom Penh: ​Excellency Watt Botkosal, Deputy ​Secretary ​General ​of ​the ​Cambodia ​National ​Mekong ​Committee (CNMC), ​led a ​national working group ​consisting of officials from relevant ministries including Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Mines and Energy and officials of the CNMC Secretariat and Excellency Pich Diun, Advisor of CNMC joined the MRC JC Working Group Meeting for the preparation of the 4th MRC Summit and International Conference. The meeting was organized by the MRC Secretariat through video conferencing, with the participation of the National Working Group of the MRC Member Countries and the relevant working group team of the MRC Secretariat, chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General of Lao National Mekong Committee on behalf of the MRC JC Joint Committee Member of Lao PDR, which will host the Summit in 2023.

The Objectives of this meeting is to review and discuss the main points of the second draft of the Concept Note for the Preparation of the 4th MRC Summit and the International Conference program to be held together in 2023 in Lao PDR. The meeting heard a summary of the results of the meeting of the member countries that examined the first theme and incorporated it into the new theme as proposed by the host country, Lao PDR, focusing on the objectives, agenda, expected results and a preliminary draft of the Summit Declaration. The meeting heard a Cambodian presentation on the experience of hosting the 3rd MRC Summit hosted by Cambodia in 2018. As the results the meeting decided to continue the second national consultation meeting, which will discuss the proposal for the draft of the second concept note, focusing on the interests of today's working group meeting, as well as on the basis of old and new themes.