[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 28, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1002-S1003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 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

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

                              S. Res. 126

       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,

[[Page S1003]]

     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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