A Study on the Access to Environmental Information in the Mekong River Basin

Abstract

This paper focuses on the regional level(ASEAN, MRC) and the national level(China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar) in the Mekong River Basin, with the understanding that the basic steps of environmental cooperation are the free access and transparent sharing of information between Cooperating Parties and stakeholders. Despite the long history of cooperation, access and sharing of information within the Mekong River Basin has been very limited. Although there are differences in the types and contents of laws, it is clear that the right to access information in Mekong countries is changing and developing at the legal institutional level. However, concepts such as information access and public participation need to be understood in terms of deliberative democracy and human rights. Of course, the political and economic situation of the Mekong River Basin varies from country to country, and it is true that it is not yet familiar with participatory democracy. Moreover, it is a more sensitive concept to socialist countries such as China, Vietnam and Lao PDR, and access to environmental information is also a fundamental right of environmental rights. For the future sustainable development and cooperation governance of the Mekong River basin, it is very important to establish the laws and systems for information access and public participation in individual countries and to strengthen their capabilities. To this end, ASEAN needs to play its role as a regional platform. It is also necessary to adopt more stringent measures to encourage policy implementation by Member States at the MRC level. Efforts at the local level in relation to environmental human rights are also needed, but conflicts can not be resolved unless there is a radical change in the domestic level. In other words, the regional partnership is used as a forum for discussion, and the problem of implementation depends on the executive organ of each country.