Vientiane (VNA) – Vietnamese Ambassadorto Laos Nguyen Ba Hung called on the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to take morespecific and drastic actions to implement the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment, the 21st Conference ofthe Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) and theSendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

He was speaking at the sixth ASEM Seminar on Water Resources Management andSustainable Development, themed “Integrated water resources management forsustainable development,” in Pakse province, Laos, on October 25.

The ambassador underlined the need to have comprehensive access to waterresources management, integrate water resources management into sustainabledevelopment strategies of each country and cooperation areas of ASEM.

Apart from enhancing practical collaboration between localities along theMekong-Danube Rivers, ASEM should step up partnerships regionally and globallytowards sustainable development, Hung said.

Vietnam has attaches importance and actively contributed to regional andinternational cooperation mechanisms on sustainable water resources management,Hung noted.

With the support of the UN, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank(WB) and development partners, Vietnam and other countries along the MekongRiver have implemented cooperation programmes within the framework of theMekong, he said.

Vietnam shared the Mekong River countries’ wish of expanding thepartnership with the EU and countries along the Danube River through dialogues,initiatives and specific cooperation projects, the ambassador stressed.

Addressing the event, Lao Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and EnvironmentBounkham Vorachith affirmed that the Lao Government committed to developing andmanaging water resources in Laos in a synchronous and sustainable manner, andto continuing cooperation within the framework of ASEM.

During the seminar, which lasts until October 26, the delegates focus their discussionson water resources management at national and regional levels, covering Europeand Asia, measures to develop the water sector between ASEM nations andrelevant parties, and cooperation in water affairs between European and Asiannations.

The discussions, together with initiatives to be implemented in the time ahead,will prepare for the 13th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Naypyitaw, Myanmar,and the 12th ASEM Summit in Brussels, Belgium, in 2018.

At the 11th ASEM Summit in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, in July 2016, Asian andEuropean leaders prioritised cross-border water resources managementcooperation.

They agreed to strengthen Mekong-Danube cooperation to turn challenges towater, food and energy security into opportunities for inclusive growth andsustainable development.-VNA