On 21^st October 2021, the Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON – Mekong Institute) at Can Tho University in collaboration with the University of Southampton (UK), Kyoto University (Japan), Newcastle University (UK), and Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) organized the online workshop on “Strategy for Water Resources Risk Management in the ASEAN Region (COP26)” within the framework of the project entitled “Integrated Strategies for Water Resources Risk Management in the ASEAN Region Under Climate Uncertainty: A needs analysis”.

The workshop was attended by key experts from local governments (including the Vietnamese Mekong Delta's Departments of Natural Resources and Environment and Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development) and national universities. Aside from that, overseas scientists from the project's side attended the meeting.

Prof. Craig Hutton (Principal Investigator) from the University of Southampton, a representative of the project management board, gave a summary presentation on project implementation results, followed by presentations from three project members, Dr. Evelyn Pina Covarrubias (University of Southampton), Dr. Christopher Hackney (Newcastle University), and Dr. Oliver Hensengerth (University of Northumbria).

 Stakeholders Workshop on “Strategy for Water Resources Risk Management in the ASEAN Region (COP26)”

Participants in the workshop addressed the project's findings about the present level of risk management for water resources in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. The experts also discussed risk threats and severity of hazards, vulnerability, disaster risk management strategies, and other topics that were not covered in the project study findings.

Expert opinion on the importance (%) of each of these climate risk hazard drivers in the workshop

Main results was agreed by the participants in the workshop as follow:

• The Current Stage of Water Resource Management Risk in the Face of Climate Change, which was compiled from a variety of international and national publications, as well as grey literature relevant to the subject area: The findings demonstrate that the Vietnamese Mekong Delta has been subjected to a variety of hazards, with floods, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, and erosion being the most serious.
• Integrated Water Resource System Modelling for Delta Risk Management: The workshop highlighted the limited number of numerical models used in research on risk assessment of water resources in the Delta. Most of these models were used to simulate flood, water quality, sediment change, and erosion concerns. Only a few vulnerability assessment models focus on assessing exposure and vulnerability implications on the socioeconomic sector and the lives of coastal dwellers. Gender, infrastructure, and population density research is still insufficient, despite the fact that they have a significant impact on the current situation. One of the key reasons for the absence of models in earlier research is the difficulty in collecting the input data.
• The Water Resource Risk Assessment Matrix: Salinity intrusion, coastal erosion, and drought/water shortages are the most pressing concerns, as outlined in official regulations. Due to the complicated promulgation procedure and time lag necessary in execution, the ability to serve vulnerability assessments promptly is now still limited.