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Cambodia Water Governance Dialogue 2026 to Focus on Subnational Coordination and Local Priorities

MOWRAM and CDRI will bring together around 200 representatives to discuss practical improvements in water governance and provide initial guidance on the proposed Cambodia Water Week.

PHNOM PENH, 10 November 2026 – The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM) and the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) will jointly host the Cambodia Water Governance Dialogue 2026 on Thursday, 12 November 2026, in Phnom Penh.

Held under the theme “Strengthening Water Governance at the Subnational Level,” the one-day Dialogue will examine how national water planning, river basin priorities, sector development and public and development-partner investment can better respond to local conditions and priorities.

Around 200 representatives are expected to participate, including officials from national ministries, provincial and district administrations, technical departments, commune councils, River Basin Committees, Farmer Water User Communities and other community institutions. Development partners, researchers, civil society organisations and private-sector representatives will also take part.

Cambodia’s water resources support agriculture, fisheries, energy, domestic water supply, ecosystems and rural livelihoods. However, floods and droughts, changing river flows, ecosystem degradation, competing water uses and rising demand are placing growing pressure on these resources. Many of these challenges span administrative and sectoral boundaries and require institutions to work together.

Secretary of State of Water Resources and Meteorology H.E. Dr An Pich Hatda said effective water governance depends on national policies, plans, and investments that respond to the realities faced by provinces and communities, supported by stronger institutional coordination.

“Cambodia needs clearer responsibilities, better use of evidence and stronger coordination among ministries and levels of government. This Dialogue will help identify practical actions that institutions can take together to manage water more sustainably and protect the people, livelihoods and ecosystems that depend on it,” H.E. Dr Hatda said.

The morning programme will include keynote addresses on practical subnational water governance and social inclusion. It will then examine national water planning, industrial and hydropower development, river basin priorities, and how government plans and development-partner investments can better respond to subnational needs.

Parallel sessions in the afternoon will examine how national and subnational institutions coordinate in practice and draw lessons from district-level water governance, irrigation management, private-sector engagement, water-supply actors and community experience. The discussions will identify practical priorities for strengthening water governance at the subnational level.

The Dialogue will also include an initial consultation on the proposed Cambodia Water Week, led by MOWRAM. Envisaged as a national platform for policy exchange, public engagement, knowledge sharing and partnership development, the proposal will be presented for early guidance on its purpose, added value, priority themes, participation and future development.

CDRI Executive Director Dr Eng Netra said the Dialogue would connect research and policy with the practical experience of national and subnational institutions, communities and other water-sector actors.

“Good policy must be informed by evidence and by a sound understanding of how policy implementations work in practice. The Dialogue creates an important space for authorities, communities, researchers, development partners and the private sector to compare experience, identify priorities and forge partnership for policy implementations,” Dr Netra said.

The 2026 Dialogue builds on the first High-Level Policy Dialogue on Water Governance, convened by MOWRAM and CDRI last year. That Dialogue identified the need for clearer institutional responsibilities, stronger coordination, improved access to data, greater technical capacity and more meaningful participation in water-related decision-making.

The upcoming event reflects one of the agreed joint activities under the MoU between MOWRAM and CDRI signed in July 2026, covering research, knowledge exchange, capacity development and policy dialogue.

The Dialogue is supported by the Australian Government, through the Ponlok Chomnes Programme (PCII) of The Asia Foundation, the Australia Cambodia Partnership for Climate Resilience, and Oxfam.

Participation in the Dialogue is by invitation. The working language will be Khmer, with simultaneous English interpretation.

END

Media contact

Mr Khath Bunthorn
Publication Manager
Cambodia Development Resource Institute
bunthorn.khath@cdri.org.kh
+855 96 5677369

Mr Chhoeung Chamreun
Vice Chief of the International Cooperation Office
chamreun.cnmc@gmail.com
+855 12 706 084