The Mekong River Commission (MRC) conducts the 4th annual Mekong Flood Forum from May 18-19, 2006 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, sponsored by the Dutch government.
The theme of this years's forum is: "Improving Flood Forecasting and Warning Systems for Flood Management and Mitigation in the Lower Mekong Basin".
In a press release the MRC says that the participants come from the lower Mekong basin, Europe, U.S., Asian Development Bank.
The forum aims to raise the awareness of the current state of flood forecasting and warning systems at the national and regional levels in the Lower Mekong Basin.
Improved forecasting and warning systems are core activities of the MRC Flood Management and Mitigation Programs (FMMP).
The MRC member countries are Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Other participants include donor agencies, scientists from the Mekong basin and the international community, upstream dialogue partners (China and Burma), and local communities are expected to join the Forum.
Vientiane-based Chief executive MRC Secretariat Oliver Cogels says that the overall objective of the forum is to prevent, minimize or mitigate people's suffering and economic losses due to floods.
The Mekong Flood Forum was formed in 2002 after a 2000 flood in Cambodia that killed more than 800 people and a loss of more than 400 million dollars in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.