ເມື່ອໄວໆມານີ້ ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ອະວຸໂສຂອງຄະນະກຳມາທິການແມ່ນ້ຳມິສຊິສຊິບປີ້ (MiRC) ພາຍໃຕ້ການເປັນ
ປະທານ ຂອງນາຍພົນຕີໄດອານາ ເອັມ ໂຮລແລນ ໄດ້ເດີນທາງມາຢ້ຽມຢາມ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະໄດ້ພົບປະ
ກັບ ດຣ. ອານຸລັກ ກິດຕິຄຸນ ປະທານບໍລິຫານ ແລະບັນດາເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ອະວຸໂສຂອງຄະນະກຳມາທິການແມ່
ນ້ຳຂອງສາກົນ (MRC) ເພື່ອປຶກສາຫາລື ກ່ຽວກັບໂຄງການແລກປ່ຽນ ແມ່ນ້ຳເອື້ອຍນ້ອງ ຫຼື Sister Rivers Echange.ກຳມາທິການທີ່ຕາງໜ້າໃຫ້ແກ່ແມ່ນ້ຳທີ່ສຳຄັນທັງສອງ ໄດ້ເຫັນພ້ອມນຳກັນທີ່ຈະລົງເລິກການ
ເປັນພາຄີລະຫວ່າງກັນ ໂດຍໄດ້ລົງນາມຕໍ່ອາຍຸບົດບັນທຶກຄວາມເຂົ້າໃຈເປັນເວລາຫ້າປີອອກໄປຕື່ມອີກ.
ທ່ານ ດຣ. ອານຸລັກ ແມ່ນຊີອີໂອ ຄົນລາວຄົນທຳອິດ ຂອງຄະນະກຳມາທິການແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງສາກົນ ແລະຊ່ວຍ
ໃນການແລກປ່ຽນໄປສູ່ການປະສານງານໃໝ່ໃນລະດັບສູງຂຶ້ນ. ຄະນະກຳມາທິການທັງສອງຈະຮ່ວມກັນພັດທະນາລະບົບເພື່ອບໍລິຫານຈັດການຊັບພະຍາກອນນ້ຳ ໃຫ້ມີປະສິດທິພາບ ແລະ ເປັນມິດກັບສິ່ງ ແວດ
ລ້ອມໃນລຸ່ມແມ່ນ້ຳທັງສອງແຫ່ງນີ້ແນວໃດ. ພາຍຫຼັງການຢ້ຽມຢາມ ສປປ ລາວ ແລ້ວ ເຈົ້າໜ້າທີ່ອາວຸໂສຂອງ
ສະຫະລັດກໍສືບຕໍ່ ເດີນທາງໄປຢ້ຽມຢາມປະເທດກຳປູເຈຍ.
ສ່ວນນຶ່ງຂອງບົດຄວາມ ກ່ຽວກັບແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ ແລະສະຫະລັດອາເມຣິກາເສີມຂະຫຍາຍການຮ່ວມມືແບບຍືນ
ຍົງທີ່ຂຽນຂຶ້ນລຸນຫຼັງການເດີນທາງມາຢ້ຽມຢາມ ສປປ ລາວ ມີໃຈຄວາມຕອນນຶ່ງວ່າ “ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າພ້ອມດ້ວຍທີມ
ງານ ໄດ້ມີໂອກາດໄປຢ້ຽມຢາມ ສປປ ລາວ ເມື່ອບໍ່ດົນມານີ້ ແລະ ພວກເຮົາມີຄວາມປະທັບໃຈຫຼາຍຕໍ່ກັບຄວາມສຳຄັນ ແລະ ຄວາມຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ຂອງແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງ. ຄວາມສຳຄັນຂອງແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງທີ່ມີຕໍ່ຊຸມຊົນ ແລະ ການດຳລົງຊີ
ວິດຂອງປະຊາຊົນລາວນັ້ນ ເຮັດໃຫ້ພວກເຮົາຄິດເຖິງບ້ານຂອງພວກເຮົາ ທີ່ຢູ່ລຽບຕາມແຄມຝັ່ງແມ່ນໍ້າມິສຊິສ
ຊິບປີ. ໃນຊ່ວງເວລາທີ່ພວກເຮົາຢູ່ ສປປ ລາວ ພວກເຮົາໂຊກດີທີ່ມີໂອກາດໄປຢ້ຽມຊົມແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງ ທີ່ນະຄອນ
ຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ ຫຼວງພະບາງ ແລະ ໄຊຍະບູລີ ແລະ ຍັງໄດ້ພົບປະກັບຜູ້ຕາງໜ້າອາວຸໂສຈາກກະຊວງຊັບພະຍາ
ກອນທຳມະ ຊາດ ແລະສິ່ງແວດລ້ອມ ກະຊວງພະລັງງານ ແລະບໍ່ແຮ່ ແລະ ສຳນັກງານໃຫຍ່ຄະນະກຳມາທິການແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ ທີ່ນະຄອນຫຼວງວຽງຈັນ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າພ້ອມດ້ວຍທີມງານ ໄດ້ສັງເກດເຫັນເຖິງຄວາມເອົາໃຈໃສ່ ຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ ໃນການປົກປັກຮັກສາແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງເພື່ອຄົນຮຸ່ນຕໍ່ໄປ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າມຸ່ງໝັ້ນທີ່ຈະສືບຕໍ່ການຮ່ວມມືກັບ ສປປ ລາວ ແລະ ກໍລໍຖ້າໂອກາດທີ່ຈະໄດ້ຕ້ອນຮັບຄະນະຜູ້ຕາງໜ້າຈາກ ສປປ ລາວ ຢ່າງອົບອຸ່ນ ເພື່ອມາຢ້ຽມຢາມ ແມ່ນໍ້າມິສຊິສຊິບປີ ໃນໂຄງການແລກປ່ຽນ Sister River Partnership ຄັ້ງຕໍ່ໄປ.”
By: Major General Diana M. Holland, Mississippi River Commission President and Mississippi Valley Division Commander
Water is life. The need for this resource is universal, yet access to water is not guaranteed in many parts of the world. Together, the world faces new and evolving challenges. Climate change—and it’s anticipated effects like prolonged droughts, changing weather patterns, and food insecurity—will create new barriers for vulnerable and at-risk communities to access clean drinking water and sufficient food sources. It is essential that we work together, across national and regional boundaries, to confront these emerging challenges. We all share a responsibility to protect and sustainably use our global natural resources to ensure they last.
One way in which the United States is collaborating with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to address these challenges is through the Sister Rivers Partnership program. The Sister Rivers Partnership program pairs the Mississippi River in the United States with the Mekong River, and thus forms a partnership between the Mekong River Commission, which includes four member countries, and the Mississippi River Commission. The Mississippi and Mekong Rivers are “sister rivers” because, just like siblings, they share several common traits. Both rivers are transboundary waterways, serve as the life source to countless communities, and face shared challenges. Some of these shared challenges include saltwater intrusion, riverbank erosion, evolving hydrology, and climate change. By pairing the Mekong and Mississippi River Commissions, the program joins expert teams from the United States and Lao PDR to share best practices regarding water management in order to address these shared challenges. At its core, the partnership offers a platform for both commissions to learn from each other and to join together to promote sustainable water management.
One component of the Sister River Partnership is to facilitate reciprocal visits for representatives from the United States to travel to see the Mekong River and representatives from the Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat to travel to see the Mississippi River. These in-person exchanges highlight the enduring friendship and partnership between the two river commissions, and enable us to better understand the challenges impacting riparian communities in both locations. Most of all these in-person visits afford us the opportunity to learn first-hand from each other on best practices and lessons learned to protect our waterways.
My team and I recently had the opportunity to visit Laos, and we were thoroughly impressed by the grandness of the mighty Mekong. The river’s sheer importance to the community and the Lao way of life is immediately obvious and reminded us of our home along the Mississippi River. During our time in Laos, we had the fortune of visiting the Mekong River in Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Xayabouly, and we met with senior representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the Mekong River Commission Secretariat headquartered in Vientiane. My team and I observed immense dedication from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to protect the Mekong River for generations to come. I look forward to continued collaboration with the Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, and I eagerly await the opportunity to warmly welcome representatives from the Lao PDR to visit the Mississippi River for the next Sister Rivers Partnership exchange.
