Mississippi and Mekong River Commissions sign Memorandum of Agreement to collaborate on future river management issues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) May 12, 2010 -- The move was formalized with the signing of the agreement on May 12th by the leaders from each river commission – Brig. Gen. (P) Michael J. Walsh for the Mississippi River and Jeremy B. Bird, Chief Executive Officer for the Mekong River Commission Secretariat. The agreement is one of the successes of a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the region last summer to encourage greater cooperation between the U.S. Government, ASEAN and the governments of the Mekong Basin.

The two river-basin management organizations will exchange technical cooperation and know-how to determine how best to adapt to climate change as it affects the Mekong river system. They will also work together to promote the sustainability of hydropower development, address water and food security, manage and cope with floods and droughts better, and increase navigation and trade on their inland waterways.
Ms. Clinton led the US delegation to the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference and ASEAN Regional Forum and on the sidelines of the meeting, took time-out to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Ms. Clinton said that the US Government welcomed the initiative between the Mekong and Mississippi River Commissions to create a partnership.

“The Mekong River Commission and the Mississippi River Commission are very similar in terms of their principles and mandates,” said Jeremy Bird, CEO of the Mekong River Commission Secretariat. “Both organizations strive to sustainably manage water resources against challenges related to climate change, extreme floods, hydropower development, increasing demand for water, improving navigation and trade, and involving people in the basin more on decisions that affect their lives. Both organizations are therefore well-placed to benefit each other through a technical exchange and learn how to best manage their respective complex trans-boundary rivers.”
“While the Mekong and Mississippi Rivers are experiencing challenges, their respective Commissions also have considerable institutional and professional expertise in dealing with these challenges,” said Brig. Gen Michael J Walsh, President of the Mississippi River Commission. “Both organizations will profit from a closer partnership and the sharing of best practices.”
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Notes to editors:
The Mississippi River Commission

The Mississippi River Commission was established by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1879. Congress charged it with developing plans to improve the condition of the Mississippi River, foster navigation, promote commerce, and prevent destructive floods.
Today the organization, which is headquartered in Vicksburg, Miss., provides water resources engineering direction and policy advice to the Administration, Congress, and the Army in a drainage basin that covers 41 percent of the United States and