Oxfam Mekong Water Governance Program

04/08/2026

What happens when an Indigenous community decides to solve its own water crisis?
This is the story of a solar-powered water station, led entirely by local people using a local private solar supplier; proving that sustainable solutions often start closest to the problem.
🎥 Watch how Chak Chap community did it.

-led

24/06/2026

💜 Women Leading the Research That Tells Their Story- Because Real Change Starts with Those Who Live It.
Oxfam is bringing together women leaders from community, grassroots organisations, government representatives, researchers, development practitioners, and Oxfam colleagues from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam for a Co-Design Workshop between June 23-25, 2026, as part of the Ripple Effect Study. The women leaders will be the study participants, and they own all the processes, methodologies and tools of this study.
The Ripple Effect Study is a feminist participatory action research initiative that seeks to understand how the women leaders’ journey changes happen over time, capturing both the intended and unexpected impacts of all enabling and hindering factors on individual, community and system levels that affect their leadership journey.
Through inclusive discussions and collaborative activities, women leaders as study participants shared experiences, reflect on their journeys, and help shape a deeper understanding of impact, learning, and long-term transformation.

23/06/2026

🌊 From silence to dialogue to locally-led solutions for change in Lao PDR
Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA) field work in Lao between April and June in Champasak and Luang Prabang province has brought the realities of village life into the open, turning the unheard voices of women, people with disabilities, and communities into powerful testimonies. What was once shared in private conversations now becomes public knowledge, shaping and leading solutions.
By documenting lived experiences and listening to community capacity, the PCVA process empowers the voiceless to speak and ensures that their struggles and resilience are not forgotten but drive action. This is how communities move from vulnerability to visibility, and from local dialogue to solutions for change.

05/06/2026

This World Environment Day 2026, Oxfam’s Inclusive Water Governance and Climate Resilience Programme (IP3) celebrates the rivers, wetlands, forests, fisheries and ecosystems that sustain lives, livelihoods, cultures and natural capital across the Mekong region. Healthy ecosystems support food security, regulate water, reduce disaster risks and help communities adapt to a changing climate.
But protecting nature is also about justice. Across the Mekong, the people most affected by climate change, pollution and ecosystem degradation are often those with the least power in decision-making. Through IP3, Oxfam and partners work with youth, communities, local organizations, researchers, women leaders, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities and other non-state actors to strengthen inclusive water governance and climate resilience.
As climate risks become more complex, our shared future depends on how we care for rivers, ecosystems and natural capital today and on whether decisions are shaped by those who live with these changes every day. Inspired by nature, IP3 stands with communities for climate justice, inclusive water governance and a more resilient Mekong.

From right to left, top to bottom
1. Building inclusive climate resilience in Lao PDR
IP3 partners gathered in Champasak to strengthen inclusive climate resilience and practice PCVA, bringing women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities into climate action.
2. Activity in Thailand on river protection and water pollution
In northern Thailand, communities and local actors raised concerns about pollution in the Kok, Sai and Mekong rivers, highlighting the need to protect rivers, livelihoods and ecosystems from harmful mining impacts.
3. Youth dialogue in Viet Nam
At the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, IP3 exchanged with youth on water security, ASEAN, regional institutions and the role of non-state actors.
4. World Water Development Report launch in Cambodia
Oxfam IP3 and UNESCO jointly launched the World Water Development Report in Cambodia, promoting dialogue on water, gender and inclusion.
5. IP3 is working with partners and local communities in Stung Treng to strengthen evidence-based and locally led action for inclusive water governance, river protection and climate resilience.
6. Community leadership for climate resilience
At the CBA workshop in Manila, IP3 supported dialogue with community leaders on locally led climate resilience and adaptation.

04/06/2026

🌍 From local voices to regional action: supporting community-led solutions for transboundary river governance 🤝

This week, from 31 May to 5 June 2026, more than 600 local residents, community leaders, and Buddhist monks from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces are undertaking a 68-kilometre “Peace Walk for Rivers” (Dhamma Yatra) from Tha Ton in Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai City.
The week-long pilgrimage is a peaceful call for action in response to growing concerns over pollution in the Kok and Sai Rivers, which many communities believe is linked to upstream mining activities. These rivers sustain livelihoods, agriculture, fisheries, ecosystems, and cultural heritage for thousands of people across northern Thailand and the wider Mekong region.
What makes this initiative particularly inspiring is that it represents the proactive local communities’ initiative in adopting a Dharma-based, non-violent approach to seek solutions to a transboundary river pollution challenge. Through walking, reflection, dialogue, and solidarity, participants are drawing attention to the fact that river health is not only an environmental issue, but also a matter of human wellbeing, community resilience, local economies, and cultural identity.
The Peace Walk for Rivers serves as a powerful reminder that many of the water challenges facing the Mekong today are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected. Pollution, climate change, ecosystem degradation, and growing competition for water resources are affecting communities, livelihoods, and ecosystems in ways that cannot be addressed by technical solutions alone. As rivers cross administrative and national boundaries, effective water governance depends on cooperation, transparency, access to reliable information, and meaningful participation by the people whose lives and futures depend on these shared waters.
Oxfam is honoured to join this important journey through the Inclusive Water Governance and Climate Resilience Programme (IP3), supported by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Swiss Cooperation Mekong (SDC). Throughout the week, our colleague Jyotiraj Patra, Programme Manager, will walk alongside communities and partners, listening to local concerns and supporting efforts to strengthen inclusive and community-led water governance. We are equally proud to see our partners, Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) and the Rivers and Rights (R&R), playing active roles in organising and participating in this initiative, bringing together scientific evidence, community knowledge, and collective action in support of healthier rivers and stronger communities.
As the walkers continue their journey throughout the week, they carry an important message for all of us: protecting rivers is ultimately about protecting people, livelihoods, cultures, and future generations.
We wish all participants a safe, meaningful, and impactful journey.

27/05/2026

🌍 We are deeply grateful to our donors, including Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(DFAT) and Swiss Cooperation Mekong(SDC), for joining us in this journey. Reports capture numbers, but they cannot fully convey the lived experiences of communities. Visiting the A Lưới community with Oxfam Vietnam and our IP3 partner CSRD showed us firsthand the struggles, resilience, and successes that words and pictures alone cannot express. True impact is measured not only in statistics but in the strength and spirit of the people themselves.
This progress builds on the legacy of IP‑2 and now moves into IP‑3, focusing on climate resilience and locally led co‑management of biodiversity. Communities are not only adapting to challenges but shaping sustainable futures through leadership and innovation.

31/03/2026

🌍 “Promoting women’s leadership in regional water governance in the Mekong”
Oxfam Inclusion Project phase 3 (IP3) convened the UN Water Development Report 2026 launch in partnership with UNESCO in Cambodia on 30 March 2026.
Among others, the launch highlighted the need for promoting more women leadership in regional water governance systems. IP3 partners are working with women leaders in the Mekong basin, including those from Indigenous and other less-represented groups, and other stakeholders for inclusive water governance systems across the basin.
Together, we honor the role of women, the importance of water, and the power of collective action for a just and sustainable world.

09/03/2026

🌼 Happy International Women’s Day! 💜
In Koh Snaeng, Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, women are leading disaster preparedness initiatives by raising their voices, helping with early warnings dissemination, and protecting their community when floods strike.
Historically, men dominated the Village Disaster Management Groups (VDMGs) in Koh Snaeng and made the decisions about flood evacuations and preparations. Now that’s changing. Even at nighttime during the floods in 2024, it was Phang Nin and the women group who went door to door with torches and megaphones, waking up families and helping elders reach to safe locations. Their courage saved lives and changed how the community perceives women’s leadership forever. Na Ousa, another woman member of the community said, “I have my own mission, which is to help people to increase their knowledge in anything, including this disaster preparedness, so that they can help themselves.”
Here’s to the women who lead with strength, compassion, and unwavering determination. 🌏✨


The women of Koh Sneang ‘s VDMG; From left to right- Mrs. Phang Nin, Mrs. Samut Chenda, and Na Ousa

28/01/2026

🌿 Building Inclusive Climate Resilience in the Mekong region 🌿
This week between Jan 27-31,2026 in Champasak Lao PDR, partners from across the Mekong region are coming together to strengthen inclusive climate resilience and practice Participatory Capacity & Vulnerability Analysis (PCVA) ensuring the voices of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and People with Disabilities guide meaningful climate action.
Dr. Phonesavanh Thepphasoulithone, Rector of the Champasak University shared, “The river used to tell us when to plant, but now it changes without warning.” A simple reminder of why co creating solutions with communities matters now more than ever.
Grateful to our co-host, the Champasak University, Oxfam teams, and all partners walking this journey with us toward a more just and resilient Mekong.

31/12/2025

What justifies this 2025 intensified arm conflict does not account for the true cost born by hundred thousand of families and individuals on both sides of the borders: families torn apart, children displaced, trauma replayed endlessly through social media feeds, lives on their phone screens!

Read the full blog at: https://cambodia.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/echoes-war

[English below]

សាកស្រមៃមើលថាអ្នកត្រូវបានបង្ខំឲ្យរត់ចេញពីផ្ទះ មិនមែនតែម្តង តែច្រើនដង មុនពេលកូនតូចរបស់អ្នកអាយុ១ខួប។ ស្រមៃមើលថាឪពុកម្តាយរបស់អ្នកកំពុងតស៊ូក្នុងការថែទាំគ្រួសារ ថែទាំកូន រកទឹកដោះគោ និងសូម្បីតែកន្ទបសម្រាប់ប្តូរឲ្យកូនតូចក្នុងជំរុំដែលមិនមានសម្ភារៈគ្រប់គ្រាន់។

នេះគឺជាអត្ថបទក៏ក្តុកក្តួល សរសេរដោយ សុជាតា សមាជិកក្រុមការងារមនុស្សធម៌អង្គការអុកស្វាម ដែលបានឃើញតថភាពដ៏ឈឺចាប់របស់គ្រួសារដែលត្រូវបានជម្លៀសចេញដោយជម្លោះ។ ពាក្យសម្ដីនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទនេះ ឆ្លុះបញ្ចាំងពីភាពធន់ ការឈឺចាប់ និងក្តីសង្ឃឹមរបស់អ្នកដែលបន្តប្រយុទ្ធដើម្បីសេចក្តីថ្លៃថ្នូរ ខណៈពេលប្រឈមនឹងបញ្ហាដែលស្មានមិនដល់។

សូមចុចតំណរនេះដើម្បីអានបន្ថែម https://cambodia.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/echoes-war

Imagine being forced to flee your home, not once, but several times, before your child even turns one. Imagine parents struggling to preserve dignity in the smallest acts of care, like changing a diaper.

Here is a deeply moving blog written by Ms. Socheata Sim, a member of Oxfam in Cambodia’s humanitarian team, who has been in the field and witnessed the heartbreaking realities of families displaced by conflict. Her words echo the resilience, pain, and hope of those who continue to fight for dignity amidst unimaginable challenges.

Our sincere gratitude to the Government of Belgium and the Government of Ireland for their generous support.

Read her blog: https://cambodia.oxfam.org/latest/blogs/echoes-war



Irish Embassy in Vietnam
Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Thailand
Village Support Group
សមាគមសម្ព័ន្ធសហគមន៍កសិករកម្ពុជា CCFC Cambodia