The Save the Mekong Coalition is a coalition of non-government organizations, community-based groups and networks, academics, artists and ordinary citizens within the Mekong region and internationally. The coalition was formed in 2009 in response to the public’s growing concern about the effects that hydropower dam development on the Mekong River would have on migratory fish stocks, regional food security, and the livelihoods of millions of people.
The Save the Mekong Coalition has no legal or registered status. The responsibility for the content in all public statements in any format will be borne by the members and partners listed as endorsing that statement. While the coalition has a fixed membership, we seek new members who share concerns regarding the future of one of the world’s greatest river systems.
Position of StM
The coalition shares the joint position that plans to build a cascade of hydropower dams on the Mekong mainstream should be cancelled and that large-scale and extensive hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin, including on Mekong tributaries, is not the answer to the region’s future energy and water needs. Instead, experience to date demonstrates that large-scale hydropower development in the region has been a key source of environmental, livelihood and economic destruction.
Mission of StM
The Save the Mekong coalition aims to do three things: (1) to support local people and communities in the Mekong region to raise their voices and concerns over the impacts of hydropower development; (2) to raise further public awareness about the risks associated with damming the Mekong mainstream and its tributaries, and (3) to ensure that policymakers are accountable to Mekong people and adopt more sustainable and peaceful ways of meeting people’s energy and water needs.