Development on the mainstream Mekong river and associated impacts is one of major topics that PanNature have followed for many years. The issue was raised again by PanNature and regional partners in the ASEAN People Forum 2018 (APF/ACSC 2018) in Singapore from 1st to 4th November 2018.
The policy review discusses the imminent changes and challenges for Vietnam's forestry sector as it enters a new phase, driven by various factors such as growth in the wood furniture processing and export industry, and improved forest governance. It offers expert recommendations on improving community involvement, handling conflicts in forest land use, better benefit-sharing practices, and enhancing the role of social organizations in forest governance.
In order to enhance capacities of forestry governance officers and those who facilitate different stakeholders in forest governance, the Center for People and Forest (RECOFTC), People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) co-organized a training for trainers (TOT) "Facilitation capacities in training" in Da Nang, Vietnam from October 8th to October 12th.
On September 21st, 2018 in Hanoi, People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) in collaboration with the Center for People and Forest (RECOFTC) and World Wildlife Fund Vietnam (WWF_Vietnam) organized the conference "Sharing experiences and communication co-operations on forest governance in Vietnam"
On the occasion of the Mekong River Commission’s (MRC) regional stakeholder forum on the Pak Lay Hydropower Project, Save the Mekong - a coalition of non-government organizations, community groups and concerned citizens in the Mekong region - calls for a new Transboundary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (TBESIA) and Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) for the proposed Pak Lay dam due to the poor quality of the current assessments. Pak Lay is the fourth dam on the lower Mekong mainstream in Lao PDR and has recently commenced the MRC’s Prior Consultation procedure.
From 14th to 17th September, 2018 in Da Lat (Lam Dong), Green Livelihoods Alliance (GLA) and its partners in Vietnam have held the 2018 mid-term monitoring and evaluation meeting.
On August 24th – 25th, 2018, People and Nature Reconciliation organized the “Technical conference on the development of participatory forest landscape governance framework” in Da Nang city, Vietnam.
The seminar on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT): Policy Prospects and Implications took place on August 30, in Hanoi. The event is a part of the project Strengthening Non-state actors’ Voices for Improved Forest Governance in the Mekong Region (EU-NSA Mekong) funded by the European Union, jointly implemented by The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Vietnam.
Viet Nam remains home to great numbers of vulnerable and poor people, especially among the rural population and ethnic minorities - many of whom depend on forest resources. These forests face numerous pressures including illegal logging, infrastructure development and agricultural expansion. RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, working with WWF and PanNature as part of the European Union-funded Voices for the Mekong Forests (V4MF) project, is seeking to better understand the governance challenges and opportunities in Viet Nam’s forestry sector, as well as putting forward a programme to address these through the empowerment of non-state actors (NSAs).
Save the Mekong, a coalition of non-government organizations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, announces our intention to boycott the Mekong River Commission’s Prior Consultation process for the proposed Pak Lay hydropower project in Laos. Pak Lay is the fourth dam on the lower Mekong mainstream.