27 February 2000
30 papers presented at Hanoi consultation

HANOI, Vietnam - The World Commission on Dams concluded this afternoon its regional consultation for East and Southeast Asia in Hanoi. This consultation was very successful with high quality presentations that have allowed the Commission to gain key insights into the benefits, costs and impacts of dams in East and Southeast Asia.

The more than 30 papers illustrated the striking diversity between and within countries of the region. The WCD heard that countries such as Vietnam have recently embarked upon a new period of development and faced challenges of meeting high expectations from rapidly growing population while honouring commitments to social welfare and environmental sustainability. Other countries like Japan and Korea face new challenges inherent in a shift from supply side approaches to demand side management.

The question of how to balance benefits, costs and impacts of large dams became a key feature of one of the sessions. The WCD was challenged to consider the benefits in terms of hydropower versus the environmental and social consequences of large dam projects. The theme of sharing benefits and more informed, open discussion continued throughout the consultation, which included the repeated call for actively involving communities in the management of water resources.

The Commission was also informed that the institutional arrangements relating to the four lower riparians of the Mekong basin countries are entering a new era and much attention is focussed on implementation of the new agreement as well as a shift to a broader mandate incorporating environmental and social issues.

In closing the meeting, the Vice-Chair of the WCD thanked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for welcoming the Commission to Vietnam. He said that the WCD was grateful for this opportunity to hold such an informative and productive consultation in Hanoi. Mr. Jain also thanked the Vietnam Country Office of the IUCN - The World Conservation Union, for providing the WCD with invaluable organisational support over the last few weeks and especially during the consultation.

The WCD did not present any conclusions at the end of the two-day consultation in Hanoi. The presentations and exchanges received at this regional consultation have been recorded and the lessons learnt will be consolidated into the overall knowledge base of the Commission. The WCD will prepare its final report from its knowledge base that was developed over the last two years. Mr. Jain said that it has been immensely worthwhile to travel to Hanoi to obtain these insights from individuals and organisations active in the region.

The East and South East Regional Consultation was the last of four consultations that the WCD hosted around the world. During the consultations the Commission has heard more than 130 presentations that reflected regional characteristics of large dams and related water and energy management practices. There are views that the Commission has not been able to listen to at its regional consultations, and it is open to further submissions that clarify, respond or perhaps contradict any presentations made to date. These submissions should reach the WCD before the end of March 2000 in order to is incorporated into its knowledge base.