(KPL) Ms. Busadee Santipitaks has stepped into her role as the first female and fourth riparian Chief Executive Officer to lead the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat.

Starting her three-year term on 17 January 2025, she will oversee the organization’s operations from its headquarters in Vientiane and the Flood and Drought Management Centre in Phnom Penh from 2025-2027.

Under her leadership, a new strategic direction will focus on: strengthening collaboration among the four MRC Member Countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam) and dialogue partners (China and Myanmar) as well as development partners on all aspects of water resources management; improving the MRC’s data collection and analysis capabilities to better understand the Mekong River’s complex dynamics and predict future water-related events; identifying, prioritising, and implementing collaborative projects that address transboundary water management; and enhancing the resilience of Mekong Basin communities to the impacts of floods and droughts through improved early warning systems.

During her term, Ms. Santipitaks will oversee the final implementation of the MRC Strategic Plan 2021-2025 within the Basin Development Strategy 2021-2030. She will also lead the development of the new Strategic Plan 2026-2030.

The MRC is an intergovernmental organization established in 1995 to boost regional dialogue and cooperation in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

Based on the Mekong Agreement among Cambodia, the Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam, the MRC serves as both a regional platform for water diplomacy and a knowledge hub – to manage water resources and support sustainable development of the region.

KPL