In the name of tackling the climate crisis, we are witnessing a stepped up effort led by powerful corporate and state interests to designate still free-flowing stretches of rivers as new sites for hydropower dam build-out and vast areas of land as open for extraction of ‘transition’/’critical’ minerals. When community members and their allies raise questions and defend collective rights to ancestral lands, water, clean air and livelihood, authorities across the region have responded with force – ranging from militarization, weaponization of vague laws to criminalize, incarcerate and even forcibly disappear outspoken leaders, and ordering the effective closure of civil society groups. In this context, what are ways we can strategically leverage efforts to push back against impunity for such attacks, hold institutions accountable, demand redress and assert that continuing such a pattern of crackdowns is both unacceptable and intolerable? Discussants will bring forward a range of perspectives, from engaging in regional and global arenas to community-based organizing. This event is hosted by International Rivers and is a part of the MEAW 2024.

Since​ ​its inception in 2019, MAEW has brought together diverse groups, networks, and mechanisms to address critical regional issues from environment to democracy, climate justice, agriculture, and food sovereignty. Topics like free trade agreements, the Belt and Road Initiative, and Special Economic Zones have also been discussed, alongside the climate crisis, waste management, and the ecosystems of the Mekong​ and Salween Rivers.

MAEW is committed to highlighting problems and driving discussions on prevention and solutions, particularly those raised by local communities. Their event unites progressive​ voices across the region to tackle common, cross-border challenges created by dominant ideologies, economic models, and powerful actors. To date, MAEW has hosted​ over 200 speakers and artists, engaging thousands of participants each year i​n meaningful exploration, dialogue and creative expression.

This year, MAEW once again brought together the diverse groups and networks of international and local stakeholders and participants from around the Greater Mekong Subregion to Bangkok, from 24 – 29 September 2024 for the Annual Mekong Environmental Awareness Week which were hosted across different locations.

Speakers

  1. Pornpana Kuaycharoen, Land Watch Thai
  2. Somnuck Chongmeewasin, EEC Watch

Moderator

Wichai Chatavaro, SEM

 

Photographer: Chawin Chantalikit and Vanissa Kattiya-Aree