SUMERNET

SUMERNET was launched in 2005, supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). Membership has grown from the initial 14 to 70 organizations comprising academics, government line agencies, independent research institutions and international organizations.

SUMERNET supports policy-relevant research and outreach activities to inform and engage decision-makers, planners and stakeholders bringing together research partners engaged in sustainable development in the six countries of the Mekong Region: Cambodia, China (specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Within this context, it pursues an evolving agenda in response to questions and policy issues that arise in the region.

In this present 4^th phase called SUMERNET 4 All, the network will focus on reducing water insecurities for all, in particular, the poor, marginalized and socially vulnerable groups of women and men in the Mekong Region.

This new phase of SUMERNET 4 All will continue working towards sustainable development of the Mekong Region by putting knowledge-based policy engagement at the heart of its activities.

SUMERNET 4 All has the mission “to improve the policies and practices in reducing water insecurity by conducting collaborative research, engaging in the policy process, and promoting scientifically sound research and innovation while considering gender and social equality, human rights, conflict sensitivity, environmental integrity and poverty reduction in the Mekong Region.”

Our overarching mission is to improve policies and practices in the Mekong Region that reduce water insecurities in ways that are gender- and socially-responsive by: conducting collaborative research; engaging in the policy process; promoting scientifically sound research and innovation.

Water insecurity is defined as “not having the rights or access to sufficient water of adequate quality or being made increasingly vulnerable to unacceptable levels of water-related risks.” Water insecurity has important implications for health and wellbeing, gender equality, as well as livelihoods, income generation and productivity. Water insecurity is multi-scale: spatially, it may be applied to individuals, households, communities, nations and region; temporally, it may refer to just a particular time of year or season with high risks, or it may apply to entire years or decades, in particular under impacts of climate change which are highly uncertain.

Key research themes

In response to changing demands and policy debates in the Mekong Region, SUMERNET 4 All will focus on three research themes:

1. Water access, rights & allocation in times of scarcity. Improve understanding of how development policies, projects and practices influence water insecurities that affect urban and rural livelihoods; agricultural water productivities; viability of fisheries and aquaculture; and ecosystem integrity during seasons and years when water is scarcest, in particular under climate change.
2. Governance and management of flood disaster risks. Improve understanding of the impacts of water-related disasters in urban and rural settings and the effectiveness of risk reduction measures and decisions, on human insecurities and ecosystems under current and plausible future climate conditions.
3. Transboundary interactions with water systems. Improve understanding of international transboundary interactions among the water, energy and food production systems including the impacts of hydropower dams and irrigation schemes.

Recent highlights

Publications

SUMERNET Talent Book

SUMERNET Mekong Media-Research Partnership 2021-2022

Journal Articles

2022

Tha, T., Piman, T., Bhatpuria, D., Ruangrassamee, P. (2022). Assessment of Riverbank Erosion Hotspots along the Mekong River in Cambodia Using Remote Sensing and Hazard Exposure Mapping. Water 2022, 14, 1981. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14131981

Lebel, L., Navy, H., Siharath, P., Long, C. T. M., Aung, N., Lebel, P., Hoanh, C. T., Lebel, B. (2022). COVID-19 and household water insecurities in vulnerable communities in the Mekong Region. Environ Dev Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02182-0

Lebel, L., Aung, N., Long, C.T.M. et al. (2022). Stakeholder Perspectives on COVID-19 and Household Water Access in Vulnerable Communities in the Mekong Region. Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01616-9

Stakeholder Perspectives on COVID-19 and Household Water Access in Vulnerable Communities in the Mekong Region

2021

Shrestha, M., Piman, T., Grünbühel, C. (2021). Prioritizing key biodiversity areas for conservation based on threats and ecosystem services using participatory and GIS-based modeling in Chindwin River Basin, Myanmar. Ecosystem Services, 48. 101244. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101244

Shrestha, M., Matheswaran, K., Polpanich, O., Piman, T., Krittasudthacheewa, K. (2021). A stakeholder‐centric tool for implementing water management strategies and enhancing water cooperation (SDG 6.5) in the Lower Mekong Region. In Pandey, P. V., Shrestha, S. and Wiberg, D. (Eds.) Water, Climate Change, and Sustainability, pp. 239-256. Wiley Online LIbrary. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119564522.ch16

Ainsley, S. et al. 2018. Fish species diversity and fisheries resources from wetlands in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia, Cambodian Journal of Natural History, Volume 2018 No. 1. Centre For Biodiversity Conservation Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Nguon, P. et al. (2018) Co-production of salient, credible and legitimate environmental knowledge: Cambodia National REDD+ Strategy. Journal of Sustainability Science. Springer.

Kusakabe, K. and Myae, Aye C. (2017) Precarity and Vulnerability Under Expansion of Rubber Plantation in Northern Laos and Northern Shan State. Journal of Contemporary Asia. Routledge.

Elazegui, D.D., Maria Ana T. Quimbo, and S.G. De los Santos (2016) Adaptation Pathways for Climate-Resilient Development: Lessons from Selected Local Government Units in Central Luzon, Philippines. Journal of Development Policy Review. Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Overseas Development Institute.

Selected books and book chapters

Krittasudthacheewa, C., Maung, W., Lebel, L., Daniel, R. and Hongsathavij, V., eds (2021). Chindwin Futures: Natural resources, livelihoods, institutions and climate change in Myanmar’s Chindwin River Basin. Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Krittasudthacheewa C., Hap, N., Bui, D.T., and Voladet, S. (eds.). (Forthcoming 2019). Addressing the Impacts and Uncertainties in Development and Climate Change in the Mekong Region. SIRD, Selangor, Malaysia.

This section provides highlights from the website of the SUMERNET programme. The website is the platform used to reach out to the network partners from the Mekong to highlight work on sustainable development, poverty alleviation, gender and social equality and the incorporation of a rights-based approach in natural resource management.

The website also supports the dissemination of SUMERNET work with other Southeast Asian countries beyond the Mekong Region to promote greater regional collaboration and knowledge exchange.

During this current phase called SUMERNET 4 All, the website will feature stories and multimedia network on the overall theme of “water insecurity”.

Recent highlights

Citizen science in urban planning offers lessons for urban researchers in the Mekong region

How can social science researchers work together with ordinary citizens to produce knowledge and contribute to different fields of urban governance, health and wellbeing, and peace study for transformative changes in society?

Podcast – How young professionals in the Mekong can be agents of change through research

In this podcast episode, we talk to a young researcher about their efforts to improve groundwater governance, particularly in urban areas in the Mekong region.

What are the critical lessons on knowledge co-production for the Mekong Region: Key points from experts in Chulalongkorn University

Knowledge co-production allows for the collaborative generation of knowledge and expertise among many actors, ranging from academics to local communities. This is now viewed as essential for addressing many complex environmental challenges, especially related to water resource management and regional security in the Mekong region.

Youth and the Mekong River: Our destiny is linked to the same river

Youth from the countries in the Lancang-Mekong Region reimagined the word “home” and what it means to say Lancang-Mekong is our home.

Engaging a gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) lens in research and development projects

In line with the SDGs’ rallying call, “leave no one behind”, SUMERNET Young Professionals Network (SYP) organized a training session on Gender Equality, Disability Inclusion, and Social Equity (GEDSI).

Podcasts

All episodes are available on Podbean platform.

• SUMERNET Young Professionals (SYP) miniseries │ Ep 11: How young professionals in the Mekong can be agents of change through research
• Ep 10 How can researchers work together with media with My Le
• Ep 09 Flood risks and local participation with Dr. Yanyong Inmuong
• Ep 08 Epistemic injustice in water governance with Karen Delfau
• Ep 07 Co-creation of knowledges for water governance with Prof. Kanokwan Manorom
• Ep 06 Research Reflexivity with Dr. Jonathan Rigg
• Ep 05 Conversation with SUMERNET Director
• Ep 04 Human rights approaches in research
• Ep 03 Gender perspectives in research
• Ep 02 Water insecurity in research
• Ep 01 Conflict sensitivity in research

Films

Saving Chindwin’s Biodiversity (~11 mins. in Myanmar language with English subtitles, June 2019).

SUMERNET film series on “Climate change and water insecurity”, 2018. Producer: Rajesh Daniel, SEI Asia, Bangkok, Thailand.

1. The Last Drop (~7 mins., Myanmar with Eng. subtitles).
2. This Shifting Ground (~7 mins., Myanmar with Eng. subtitles).
3. Burning dilemmas (~12 mins in Thai with Eng. subtitles).
4. Protecting the wetlands of Kulen Prom Tep (~12 mins., Khmer with Eng. subtitles).
5. Assessing the wetlands of Kulen Prom Tep (~15 mins., in Khmer and English).
6. Floods, pollution and water insecurity in Can Tho (~12 mins., in Vietnamese with Eng. subtitles).
7. Co-generating knowledge: Organic rice in Savannakhet (~12 mins., in Lao with Eng. subtitles).

Selected policy briefings

Producing work together for recovery of wetlands, agroecological farming and livelihoods in Southeast Asia

In this policy brief, we detail the process and outcome of a “knowledge co-production” research project in Thailand, Vietnam and Laos intended to contribute towards the recovery and more inclusive governance of degraded wetlands and associated agroecological farming systems and livelihoods.

SUMERNET promotes the use of scientific knowledge in policy-making not just by producing policy-relevant research, but also by engaging development actors, decision-makers and other stakeholders directly in the research process. Engagement with these actors, whom we call ‘boundary partners’, is built into SUMERNET’s research activities, which helps ensure that the work is aligned with our boundary partners’ priorities and can be effectively integrated into their plans and programmes. Boundary partners also include actors active in promoting a gender policy lens to sustainable development, and thus would include gender/feminist organizations and individuals whose work is committed to building a democratic, inclusive and just Mekong future.

SUMERNET’s boundary partner model has led to the strategic engagement of decision-makers and influencers at all stages of research and dissemination, making SUMERNET research credible and policy-relevant. Boundary partners and other stakeholders are also engaged through media, communication and dialogue activities such as policy forums that will consciously integrate gender and social analyses and issues.

SUMERNET monitors emerging regional policy issues so that it can anticipate and be responsive to knowledge demands. The rapid development of the Mekong Region makes it essential that SUMERNET maintain a degree of flexibility to reorganize around emerging issues. SUMERNET’s structure is highly inclusive: partners can propose new strategic directions for the network to consider by the SUMERNET Steering Committee. This ensures that SUMERNET’s work remains directly relevant and driven by the region.

Activities

• Initiate and implement cross-border collaborative research projects
• Apply the scientifically proven results and innovations in pilot areas
• Implement the activities related to proposal development and dissemination of research findings to the policy and wider public through small grants
• Build capacity through ongoing skills trainings, and investing resources to develop capacity of researchers in the region by incorporating mentoring support of research project teams
• Convene and support assessments of the state of the knowledge on policy issues in the region
• Raise awareness, build capacities and highlight the need for gender analysis of emerging environment and development trends in the region and subsequently create gender-responsive measures to mitigate adverse effects on socially vulnerable groups of women and men
• Convene and join panels at policy and research events across the region
• Publish comparative policy analyses on timely Mekong Region issues
• Support dissemination of research findings through books, peer-reviewed journals, policy briefs, and the media
• Facilitate coordination and networking for knowledge exchange and sharing, both within and outside of the SUMERNET network
• Monitor and evaluate SUMERNET programmes implementation and achievements, to ensure increased network capacity and contributions to independent discourse on regional sustainable development issues.

SUMERNET is open to organizations and individuals with an interest in contributing to sustainable development in the Mekong Region through knowledge-based policy engagement. We welcome partners to serve in different capacities and participate in various activities, e.g. research project implementation, knowledge exchange and sharing, capacity building and mentorship, joint publications, and contributing to policy debates and public forums.

To become a member of SUMERNET, interested parties can send an email to: [email protected].

For more information about our work and partners, please visit our website: sumernet.org