[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 126 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 126

Recognizing the vital importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia 
and the role of the Mekong-United States Partnership in supporting the 
                       prosperity of the region.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 28, 2023

  Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the vital importance of the Mekong River to Southeast Asia 
and the role of the Mekong-United States Partnership in supporting the 
                       prosperity of the region.

Whereas the Mekong River supports the livelihoods of approximately 60,000,000 
        people, making it the most important river in Southeast Asia and one of 
        the most important rivers in the world;
Whereas the Mekong-United States Partnership, comprising the United States, 
        Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the predecessor of 
        that partnership, the Lower Mekong Initiative, have contributed greatly 
        to the economic, social, and human resources development of the 
        countries in the Mekong River Basin and the protection of the Mekong 
        River;
Whereas the United States has longstanding diplomatic relations with the 
        countries in the Mekong River Basin, including a nearly 200-year-old 
        relationship with treaty ally Thailand;
 Whereas the development of the countries in the Mekong River Basin is critical 
        for the unity, economic strength, and institutional development of the 
        Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a strategic partner of the 
        United States;
 Whereas the Mekong River is increasingly imperiled by the threats from 
        worsening and extreme changes in the environment, coupled with the 
        construction of upstream dams that have altered the natural flow of the 
        river and vital ecological processes supported by natural flow;
 Whereas, since 2019, the flow of water in the Mekong River during the wet 
        season has been abnormally low;
 Whereas the Nuozhadu and Xiaowan Dams in China account for more than 50 percent 
        of the water storage of all dams in the Mekong River Basin and can 
        restrict up to 10 percent of the total wet season flow of the Mekong 
        River, exacerbating drought conditions downstream;
 Whereas the Mekong River Commission is an integral partner in ensuring the 
        long-term health of the Mekong River;
Whereas the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy can be a 
        leader in supporting river development and protection;
 Whereas the Mekong Dam Monitor, funded partly by the Mekong-United States 
        Partnership, has provided essential data and information about the 
        impacts of hydropower dams along the Mekong River to the people and 
        governments of the Mekong River Basin to allow them to prepare for 
        irregular water flows and mitigate the economic and environmental 
        impacts of those flows;
Whereas the Mekong River has become a hub for criminal elements to traffic in 
        drugs, people, and wildlife, undermining the rule of law in the 
        countries in the Mekong River Basin and impacting the world through the 
        proliferation of illegal drugs and fauna that can cause spillover of 
        zoonotic diseases;
 Whereas the international community has committed to support the development of 
        countries along the Mekong River through internationally recognized 
        development goals;
 Whereas the Friends of the Mekong, which includes the countries in the Mekong 
        River Basin, the United States, Australia, the European Union, Japan, 
        New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the Asian Development Bank, the 
        Mekong River Commission Secretariat, and the World Bank, is committed to 
        supporting the shared principles that have underpinned peace and 
        prosperity across the Indo-Pacific for decades;
 Whereas close coordination and collaboration with civil society groups 
        throughout the Mekong River Basin is essential to the protection of the 
        Mekong River;
 Whereas, among the countries in the Mekong River Basin, there has been a 
        negative trend toward the detention and detainment of civil society 
        actors and journalists and an increase in violations of human rights;
Whereas the February 1, 2021, military coup in Burma was illegal and unjustified 
        and has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths, more than 1,000,000 people 
        displaced, and tens of thousands of people in detention, and continued 
        violence threatens the stability of the entire region, especially those 
        countries along the borders of Burma; and
 Whereas diaspora communities from countries in the Mekong River Basin are a 
        vital part of the United States and help build thriving people-to-people 
        ties between those countries and the United States that lead to strong 
        commercial, civil society, and cultural ties: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses sincere concern over the environmental, 
        economic, and humanitarian threats to the Mekong River and the 
        communities of the Mekong River and continued support to 
        counter those threats; and
            (2) declares it is the policy of the United States 
        Government to--
                    (A) through the Mekong-United States Partnership 
                and the Friends of the Mekong, promote the economic and 
                environmental well-being of the people of Mainland 
                Southeast Asia in the 5 countries through which the 
                Mekong River flows, namely, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, 
                Thailand, and Vietnam;
                    (B) support a whole-of-government approach in 
                providing and coordinating Federal aid and assistance 
                throughout the Mekong River Basin under the Mekong-
                United States Partnership, including programmatic 
                support provided by the Department of State, the United 
                States Agency for International Development, and other 
                Federal agencies;
                    (C) contribute to the development of quality 
                infrastructure, the development of national electricity 
                markets, cross-border energy trade, the facilitation of 
                cross-border transport, clean energy acceleration and 
                deployment, the development of micro, small, and medium 
                enterprises, agriculture, transportation, the 
                facilitation of trade and investment, strengthened 
                subregional production linkages and supply chains, 
                digital infrastructure, and the digital economy in the 
                Mekong River Basin;
                    (D) promote engagement and buy-in of the United 
                States private sector to support inclusive economic 
                growth, resilience, global health, education, and long-
                term development in the region;
                    (E) leverage the expertise of the United States, 
                Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and other 
                partners in high-quality infrastructure to support the 
                economic development needs of the countries in the 
                Mekong River Basin;
                    (F) support the development of quality 
                infrastructure, including through projects financed by 
                the United States International Development Finance 
                Corporation, as appropriate, in the countries in the 
                Mekong River Basin;
                    (G) encourage all members of the Association of 
                Southeast Asian Nations to view the environmental, 
                humanitarian, and economic threats to the Mekong River 
                as a danger to the entire region;
                    (H) promote effective water use policies, natural 
                resources management, and environmental conservation 
                and protection, including--
                            (i) through support for a technically 
                        sound, well-coordinated, and consensus-based 
                        approach to managing the shared resources of 
                        the Mekong River Basin;
                            (ii) through support for environmental 
                        conservation, protection, and resilience in the 
                        Mekong subregion; and
                            (iii) by enhancing the capacity of 
                        countries in the Mekong River Basin in the 
                        sustainable conservation and management of 
                        natural resources, including fishery resources, 
                        for sustainable food security;
                    (I) continue the important work that provides vital 
                data and monitoring to the people and Governments of 
                the Mekong River;
                    (J) support the development of the capacity of the 
                region to respond to a variety of threats, including 
                countering transnational crime such as trafficking of 
                drugs, wildlife, timber, and persons, and criminal 
                activity associated with illegal, unreported and 
                unregulated fishing, and to improve health security, 
                including emergency preparedness and response for 
                pandemics and epidemics, cybersecurity, and disaster 
                response and preparedness and humanitarian assistance 
                and disaster relief;
                    (K) promote the development of human capital 
                through education, medical and public health 
                partnerships, vocational training, youth empowerment, 
                women's economic empowerment, gender equality, 
                university cooperation, and educational and 
                professional exchanges;
                    (L) work together with countries in the Mekong 
                River Basin to combat pollution, over fishing, natural 
                resource degradation, and the effects that changes in 
                the global climate systems are having on the Mekong 
                River, and the communities that depend on the river, 
                and to support the abilities of such communities to 
                adapt and build resilience capacities of those 
                countries;
                    (M) encourage all countries in the Mekong River 
                Basin to provide timely early warning for natural and 
                unnatural operations of the river;
                    (N) support freedom of expression in the countries 
                in the Mekong River Basin through promoting independent 
                journalism and the freedom to access information;
                    (O) continue to call for the cessation of violence 
                in Burma and support the return of Burma to a path of 
                inclusive democracy, so that it can fully contribute to 
                regional development;
                    (P) prioritize the strengthening of people-to-
                people ties through United States exchange programs 
                such as the Fulbright Program, the Peace Corps, the 
                International Visitors Leadership Program, and the 
                Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Program, 
                including the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative 
                Academy at Fulbright University Vietnam; and
                    (Q) recognize that strong democratic institutions, 
                the promotion and protection of fundamental freedoms, 
                independent civil society, and free and fair elections 
                are central to implementing the shared vision of a 
                Mekong River region, and an Indo-Pacific region, that 
                is free, open, secure, and prosperous.
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