A stakeholder‐centric tool for implementing water management strategies and enhancing water cooperation (SDG 6.5) in the Lower Mekong Region

The UN Agenda 2030, with its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), is aiming for a specific set of targets with SDG 6 on water and sanitation. Related targets emphasize integrated water resources management (IWRM) in SDG 6.5 and multi‐stakeholder partnerships in SDG 6.b to ensure sustainable management of water resources.

A web‐based platform called Supporting Water Resources Management (SWARM) was developed to enable users with differing knowledge bases to collaboratively explore the consequences of future management strategies and climate uncertainties on water resource availability and sectoral allocation plans to aid decision‐making.

The SWARM platform currently consists of four Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model‐based catchment case studies within the Lower Mekong Region representing the Huai Sai Bat, Chindwin, Srepok, and Ca basins. These case studies were developed in close collaboration with multi‐stakeholder groups using two participatory frameworks, Robust Decision Support (RDS) and SERVIR’s Service Planning Approach (SPA). Simplified web‐interface reduces the complexity associated with a decision‐support system (DSS) used by multi‐stakeholder groups.

The SWARM platform is designed to function as part decision support tool and part game so that it can used by both technical and non‐technical stakeholders. The SWARM platform is a tool for promoting water cooperation among multiple users and for exploring possible actions within the basins that directly address SDG target 6.5.