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Space and Environment

  • P-ISSN1225-6706
  • E-ISSN2733-4295
  • KCI

ISSN : 1225-6706

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Vol.25 No.4

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The Legal Issues for Sustainable Development in the Mekong River Basin

Space and Environment / Space and Environment, (P)1225-6706; (E)2733-4295
2015, v.25 no.4, pp.186-222
https://doi.org/10.19097/kaser.2015.25.4.186

(2015). The Legal Issues for Sustainable Development in the Mekong River Basin. Space and Environment, 25(4), 186-222, https://doi.org/10.19097/kaser.2015.25.4.186

Abstract

The Mekong River Basin is divided into two distinguished hydro-politics, fourLower Mekong Basin States ― Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and twoUpper Mekong Basin States ― China and Myanmar. This basin is in the midst ofa regional debate over development cooperation versus ecological preservation. Thelower Mekong states, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam have a long historyof cooperation. The Mekong regime has evolved over three distinct periods, eachwith its own constitutional framework: the Mekong Committee era(1957∼1975),the Interim Mekong Committee era(1976∼1995), and the Mekong RiverCommission era(1995∼present). In 1995, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnamconcluded the ‘Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development ofthe Mekong River Basin’ and formed the Mekong River Commission, which hasbeen lauded as the most progressive institution of river and a model for the world. However, there are many aspects of the Mekong Regime that should be strengthenedin order to secure environmental, economic and social benefits. Improved regionalcoordination of sustainable water management among Mekong countries and stakeholdersis crucial to foster equitable development and economic cooperation andensure the peaceful coexistence of Mekong communities in the long term. This articlesuggests the following four assignments for sustainable development in the MekongRiver Basin: (a) the amendment of the ‘Agreement on the Cooperation for theSustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin(1995)’, (b) the reinforcementof power and function of ‘Mekong River Commission(MRC)’, (c) the arrangementof legal system and improvement of its effectiveness under each basin’s country.

keywords
Mekong River Basin, Mekong regime, 1995 Mekong Agreement, Mekong River Commission, Sustainable development, 메콩 유역, 메콩강 협력체계, 메콩강위원회, 「메콩협약」(1995), 지속가능한 개발

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