A resolution recognizing the vital importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia and the role of the Mekong-United States Partnership in supporting the prosperity of the region.

III 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 126 Recognizing the vital importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia and the role of the Mekong-United States Partnership in supporting the prosperity of the region. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 28, 2023 Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. SULLIVAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JUNE 13, 2023 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble NOVEMBER 6, 2023 Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble RESOLUTION Recognizing the vital importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia and the role of the Mekong-United States Partnership in supporting the prosperity of the region. Whereas the Mekong River supports the livelihoods of ap- proximately 60,000,000 people, making it the most im- portant river in Southeast Asia and one of the most im- portant rivers in the world; Whereas the Mekong-United States Partnership, comprising the United States, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the predecessor of that partnership, VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 2 SRES 126 ATS the Lower Mekong Initiative, have contributed greatly to the economic, social, and human resources development of the countries in the Mekong River Basin and the pro- tection of the Mekong River; Whereas the United States has longstanding diplomatic rela- tions with the countries in the Mekong River Basin, in- cluding a nearly 200-year-old relationship with treaty ally Thailand; Whereas the development of the countries in the Mekong River Basin is critical for the unity, economic strength, and institutional development of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a strategic partner of the United States; Whereas the Mekong River continues to be affected by envi- ronmental changes, coupled with the construction of up- stream dams that have altered the natural flow of the river and vital ecological processes supported by natural flow; Whereas, since 2019, the flow of water in the Mekong River during the wet season has been abnormally low; Whereas the Nuozhadu and Xiaowan Dams in China account for more than 50 percent of the water storage of all dams in the Mekong River Basin and can restrict up to 10 per- cent of the total wet season flow of the Mekong River, exacerbating drought conditions downstream; Whereas the Mekong River Commission is an integral partner in ensuring the long-term health of the Mekong River; Whereas the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co- operation Strategy can be a leader in supporting river de- velopment and protection; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 3 SRES 126 ATS Whereas the Mekong Dam Monitor, funded partly by the Mekong-United States Partnership, has provided essen- tial data and information about the impacts of hydro- power dams along the Mekong River to the people and governments of the Mekong River Basin to allow them to prepare for irregular water flows and mitigate the eco- nomic and environmental impacts of those flows; Whereas the Mekong River has become a hub for criminal elements to traffic in drugs, people, and wildlife, under- mining the rule of law in the countries in the Mekong River Basin and impacting the world through the pro- liferation of illegal drugs and fauna that can cause spill- over of zoonotic diseases; Whereas the international community has committed to sup- port the development of countries along the Mekong River through internationally recognized development goals; Whereas the Friends of the Mekong, which includes the coun- tries in the Mekong River Basin, the United States, Aus- tralia, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the Asian Development Bank, the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, and the World Bank, is committed to supporting the shared principles that have underpinned peace and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific for decades; Whereas close coordination and collaboration with civil soci- ety groups throughout the Mekong River Basin is essen- tial to the protection of the Mekong River; Whereas, among the countries in the Mekong River Basin, there has been a negative trend toward the detention and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 4 SRES 126 ATS detainment of civil society actors and journalists and an increase in violations of human rights; Whereas the February 1, 2021, military coup in Burma was illegal and unjustified and has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths, more than 1,000,000 people displaced, and tens of thousands of people in detention, and continued violence threatens the stability of the entire region, espe- cially those countries along the borders of Burma; and Whereas diaspora communities from countries in the Mekong River Basin are a vital part of the United States and help build thriving people-to-people ties between those countries and the United States that lead to strong com- mercial, civil society, and cultural ties: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) expresses sincere concern over the environ- 2 mental, economic, and humanitarian threats to the 3 Mekong River and the communities of the Mekong 4 River and continued support to counter those 5 threats; and 6 (2) declares it is the policy of the United States 7 Government— 8 (A) to, through the Mekong-United States 9 Partnership and the Friends of the Mekong, 10 promote the economic and environmental well- 11 being of the people of Mainland Southeast Asia 12 in the 5 countries through which the Mekong 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 5 SRES 126 ATS River flows, namely, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, 1 Thailand, and Vietnam; 2 (B) to encourage the development of qual- 3 ity infrastructure, national electricity markets, 4 cross-border energy trade, cross-border trans- 5 port, greater energy access, the development of 6 micro, small, and medium enterprises, agri- 7 culture, transportation, the facilitation of trade 8 and investment, strengthened subregional pro- 9 duction linkages and supply chains, digital in- 10 frastructure, and the digital economy in the 11 Mekong River Basin; 12 (C) to promote engagement and buy-in of 13 the United States private sector to support in- 14 clusive economic growth, resilience, global 15 health, education, and long-term development in 16 the region; 17 (D) to leverage the expertise of the United 18 States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Aus- 19 tralia, and other partners in high-quality infra- 20 structure to support the economic development 21 needs of the countries in the Mekong River 22 Basin; 23 (E) to encourage all members of the Asso- 24 ciation of Southeast Asian Nations to view the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 6 SRES 126 ATS environmental, humanitarian, and economic 1 threats to the Mekong River as a danger to the 2 entire region; 3 (F) to promote effective water use policies, 4 natural resources management, and environ- 5 mental conservation and protection, including— 6 (i) through support for a technically 7 sound, well-coordinated, and consensus- 8 based approach to managing the shared re- 9 sources of the Mekong River Basin; 10 (ii) through support for environmental 11 conservation, protection, and resilience in 12 the Mekong subregion; and 13 (iii) by enhancing the capacity of 14 countries in the Mekong River Basin on 15 conservation and management of natural 16 resources, including fishery resources, for 17 long-term food security; 18 (G) to continue the important work that 19 provides vital data and monitoring to the people 20 and Governments of the Mekong River; 21 (H) to encourage the development of the 22 capacity of the region to respond to a variety of 23 threats, including countering transnational 24 crime such as trafficking of drugs, wildlife, tim- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 7 SRES 126 ATS ber, and persons, and criminal activity associ- 1 ated with illegal, unreported and unregulated 2 fishing, and to improve health security, includ- 3 ing emergency preparedness and response for 4 pandemics and epidemics, cybersecurity, and 5 disaster response and preparedness and human- 6 itarian assistance and disaster relief; 7 (I) to promote the development of human 8 capital through education, medical and public 9 health partnerships, vocational training, youth 10 empowerment, women’s economic empower- 11 ment, gender equality, university cooperation, 12 and educational and professional exchanges; 13 (J) to work together with countries in the 14 Mekong River Basin to combat pollution, over 15 fishing, natural resource degradation, and the 16 effects that environmental changes are having 17 on the Mekong River, and the communities that 18 depend on the river, and to support the abilities 19 of such communities to adapt and build resil- 20 ience capacities of those countries; 21 (K) to encourage all countries in the 22 Mekong River Basin to provide timely early 23 warning for natural and unnatural operations 24 of the river; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB 8 SRES 126 ATS (L) to support freedom of expression in the 1 countries in the Mekong River Basin through 2 promoting independent journalism and the free- 3 dom to access information; 4 (M) to continue to call for the cessation of 5 violence in Burma and support the return of 6 Burma to a path of inclusive democracy, so that 7 it can fully contribute to regional development; 8 (N) to prioritize the strengthening of peo- 9 ple-to-people ties through United States ex- 10 change programs such as the Fulbright Pro- 11 gram, the Peace Corps, the International Visi- 12 tors Leadership Program, and the Young 13 Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Program, 14 including the Young Southeast Asian Leaders 15 Initiative Academy at Fulbright University 16 Vietnam; and 17 (O) to recognize that strong democratic in- 18 stitutions, the promotion and protection of fun- 19 damental freedoms, independent civil society, 20 and free and fair elections are central to imple- 21 menting the shared vision of a Mekong River 22 region, and an Indo-Pacific region, that is free, 23 open, secure, and prosperous. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:58 Nov 06, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR126.ATS SR126 kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB