Welcome to M-POWER

The Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience is a network of collaborating organizations and individuals working to democratize water governance in the Mekong Region.

Find out more about our agenda for action research, dialogue facilitation and knowledge brokering by downloading the M-POWER Strategic Guide 2011.

Governing the Mekong: Engaging in the politics of knowledge

M-POWER has released new edited volume in its book series. The book focuses on water governance in the Mekong region. The authors, Mekong citizens and other living and working in the region, depict the challenges involved in water governance at multiple levels.

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Accessing a copy

Water Rights and Social Justice

M-POWER has released the third edited volume in its book series. Published by Earthscan, Social Justice and Water Rights in the Mekong Region shows how vitally important it is that water governance is democratized to allow a more equitable sharing of water resources and counteract the pressures of economic growth that may pose risks to social welfare and environmental sustainability.

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Accessing a copy

Contested Waterscapes

The second edited volume in M-POWER’s book series, Contested Waterscapes in the Mekong Region, examines how large-scale projects are being proposed, justified and built. It was published by Earthscan in 2009.

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Looking inside the book

Multi-Scale Water Governance

‘Enhancing multi-scale water governance’ is the recently completed flagship project of M-POWER and one from which a number of sub-projects emerged. Its main goal was to help improve livelihood security, human and ecosystem health in the Mekong Region through democratizing water governance.

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Enhancing multi-scale water governance

Water Allocation

‘Improving Mekong water allocation’ was a substantial, collaborative activity involving 52 M-POWER researchers from 15 countries. The goal of contributing to water allocation policy and practice which results in a more optimal and equitable use of water by society has been pursued by research across the Mekong Region and active engagement with policy-makers.

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Improving Mekong water allocation

Water Governance

M-POWER’s work aims to improve water governance in the Mekong Region. We have lead responsibility for a project focusing on ways in which benefits from dams can be improved across the Mekong Basin by concentrating on how dams are managed and operated at a basin-wide scale.

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Democratizing water governance

Multi-Stakeholder Platforms

This project aims to realize more open, inclusive and transparent decisions about the development and placement of projects and plans relating to water and energy governance. Better decision-making processes are expected to contribute to reducing the negative social and environmental impacts of the implementation and operation of major projects and plans in the Mekong Region.

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Investigating alternative engagement approaches

Hydropower Sustainability

M-POWER is working to influence the way in which hydropower is designed, developed and managed. We are leading a project on ‘Hydropower Governance’ that focuses on introducing and building capacity for the utilization of a new governance tool, the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP).

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Advancing hydropower sustainability

Mekong Region Futures

This project is investigating possible future trajectories in the energy, food and water nexus in the Mekong Region. Nexus refers to the dynamic interactions between the three sectors as opposed to understanding each sector in isolation. M-POWER has contributed to the project’s conceptualization and is now supporting its implementation.

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Exploring Mekong Region futures

Expert Panels

Expert panels can be an effective way of improving the transparency of decision-making, and the knowledge base upon which it is informed. Our first panel initiative has been in partnership with the Mekong River Commission to review the Basin Development Plan Phase 2 (BDP2).

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Using panels of experts to improve decision-making

Fellowship Program

M-POWER, with the support of the Challenge Program on Water and Food, operates a fellowship program that provides academic support to and builds capacity of persons interested in knowledge generation, exchange and policy influence in the Mekong Region.

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Building a network
of M-POWER Fellows

Partners Beyond the Mekong

Our partners vary in the degree to which they are actively conducting or participating in activities identified in or aligned with our strategic guide. Neighboring organizations and some of those beyond the Mekong include csiro.au, sterlinglawyers.com, hatfieldgroup.com, uea.ac.uk, waterandfood.org, and ird.fr

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List of partners

Improving Resources and Allocation

The Improving Mekong Water Allocation project (M-POWER–CPWF Project PN67) by John Dore, Francois Molle, Louis Lebel, Tira Foran and Kate Lazarushas examined the use of a wide range of support tools, in many decision making arenas, notes 1 2 3.

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Contributions of PN67 to governance research