Protecting the Right to Water in the Mekong River Basin: Addressing Vulnerable Groups amidst Climate Change and Anthropogenic Challenges
https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2025.3.33.667-698
Abstract
Climate change is a pressing global issue with profound consequences for life, health, and livelihoods. Its impacts — ranging from floods and droughts to saltwater intrusion — have displaced countless individuals, intensified geopolitical conflicts, and underscored the urgent need for nations to ensure equitable and efficient management of shared resources. At the same time, efforts must focus on mitigating climate change adverse effects and safeguarding human rights, particularly for vulnerable populations.
This study focuses on the Mekong River Basin (MRB), a region significantly impacted by climate change and human-induced pressures. It critically evaluates gaps in international legal frameworks designed to protect human rights within the basin and identifies key shortcomings in addressing the needs of vulnerable groups, including marginalized communities and displaced populations.
ASEAN, which includes five MRB countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam — is argued to play a pivotal role in facilitating dialogue on cross-border water management in the MRB. Through its regional partnership framework, ASEAN provides a platform for these countries and China, a major stakeholder in the basin, to engage in discussions aimed at achieving sustainable water resource governance. By fostering collaboration and mutual understanding, ASEAN helps to align national policies with regional objectives, promoting shared responsibility for equitable and efficient resource use.
This research offers strategies and actionable solutions to strengthen regional cooperation and foster inclusive policymaking. It advocates for an integrated approach to climate adaptation that prioritizes the rights and well-being of vulnerable groups. Ultimately, the findings highlight the urgency of addressing legal and institutional gaps to ensure a sustainable and equitable future for the MRB and its inhabitants.
About the Authors
T. V. Dung
Ho Chi Minh City University of Law
Viet Nam
Viet Nam
Tran Viet Dung, PhD (La w), Associate Professor, Vice-Rector
Ho Chi Minh City
T. K.A. Nguyen
Ho Chi Minh City University of Law
Viet Nam
Viet Nam
Nguyen Thi Kim Anh, PhD (Law), Lecturer, International Law Faculty
Ho Chi Minh City
References
1. Adhamiya, D. and Rothman, S.B., (2021). Revisiting international human rights treaties: comparing Asian and Western efforts to improve human rights. SN Social Sciences, 1(16), pp. 1–41, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-020-00018-0.
2. Browder, G. and Ortolano, L., (2000). The Evolution of an International Water Resources Management Regime in the Mekong River Basin. Natural Resources Journal, 40(3), pp. 499–531.
3. Campbell, I.C., (2011). Managing international river basins: successes and failures of the Mekong River Commission. In: Water Resources Planning and Management. Cambridge University Press, pp. 724–740, doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511974304.037.
4. Chapman, A. and Ahmed, K., (2021). Climate Justice, Humans Rights, and the Case for Reparations. Health Hum Rights, 23, pp. 81–94, doi: 10.1353/hrq.2011.0033.
5. Davies, M., (2013). The ASEAN Synthesis: Human rights, Nonintervention, and the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 14, pp. 51–58.
6. Donatti, C., Har vey, C.A., Martinez-Rodriguez, M.R., Vignola, R., and Rodriguez, C.M., (2019). Vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change in Central America and Mexico: current knowledge and research gaps. Climate and Development, 11, pp. 264–286, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2018.1442796.
7. Engström, V., (2020). The IMF and Protection of Vulnerable Groups. Nordic Journal of International Law, 89, pp. 209–243, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/15718107-08902001.
8. Eswarappa, K. and Atrayee, S., (2019). Vulnerability and Vulnerable Groups of People. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies. Palgrave Macmillan Cham 2019, pp. 1–7.
9. Fineman, M.A., (2019). Vulnerability and Social Justice. Valparaiso University Law Review, 53, pp. 341–369, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3352825.
10. Jaap, E. and Pathirana, A., (2018). Adaptation to climate change in the Mekong River Basin: introduction to the special issue. Climatic Change, 149, pp. 1–11, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-018-2242-y.
11. Jeffrey, W.J., (1995). Mekong Committee History and Lessons for River Basin Development. The Geographical Journal, 161, pp. 135–148.
12. Langlois, A., (2021). Human rights in Southeast Asia: ASEAN’s rights regime after its first decade. Journal of Human Rights, 20, pp. 151–157, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2020.1843144.
13. Li, L., (2020). International Cooperation for the Belt and Road Initiative: Key Issues and Future Prospects. Vietnamese Journal of Legal Sciences, 2, pp. 76–95, doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjls-2020-0011.
14. Limante, L., (2022). Definition of Vulnerable groups. In: Legal Protection of Vulnerable Groups in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, pp. 3–27, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06998-7_1.
15. Mcdonald, N. and Forte, A., (2022). Privacy and Vulnerable Populations. In: Modern Socio-Technical Perspectives on Privacy, Springer, pp. 337–363.
16. Muhammad, R., (2012). Principles of Transboundary Water Resources Management and Water-related Agreements in Central Asia: An Analysis. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 28, pp. 475–491, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2012.684311.
17. Ngcamu, B.S., (2023). Climate change affects vulnerable populations in the Global South: a systematic review. Natural Hazards, 118, pp. 977–991, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-06070-2.
18. Nguyen, T.K.A., (2021). Data Exchange as Key Mechanism in the Joint Use of the Mekong River. In: Modern Global Economic System: Evolutional Development vs Revolutionary Leap, Springer Cham, pp. 990–996, doi: doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69415-9_110.
19. Oosterveld, W., (2018). The Belt and Road Initiative Looks East: Political Implications of China’s Economic Forays in the Caribbean and the South Pacific. The Hague Center for Strategic Studies. Available at: https://hcss.nl/report/the-belt-and-road-initiative-looks-east/.
20. Roozbeh, B., (2010). Customary International Law in the 21st Century: Old Challenges and New Debates. European Journal of International Law, 21(1), pp. 173–204, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ejil/chq015.
21. Suzuki, S., (2019). Why is ASEAN not intrusive? Non-interference meets state strength. Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies, 8(2), pp. 157–176, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/24761028.2019.1681652.
22. Timmer, A. et al., (2021). The potential and pitfalls of the vulnerability concept for human rights. Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, 39(3), pp. 190–197, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/09240519211048009.
23. Tran, T.T.D., (2014). Public International Law. Ho Chi Minh University of Law Textbook Series. Hong Duc Publication House.
24. Tran, V.D. and Ngo, N.T.V., (2017). The settlement practice of environmental disputes involving foreign investors in Vietnam — the Two sides of the FDI coin. In: Asian Yearbook of International Law, 23. Pp. 137–172, doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004415829_010.
25. Tran, V.D., (2019). Legal and Policy Framework for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Development in Vietnam. Vietnamese Journal of Legal Sciences, 1(1), pp. 33–47, doi: https://doi.org/10.2478/vjls-2020-0002.
26. Wewerinke-Singh, M. and Doebbler, C., (2022). Protecting Human Health from Climate Change: Legal Obligations and Avenues of Redress under International Law. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5386 [Accessed 16.12.2024].
27. Zhang, E. and Patrick, J., (2023). All Roads Lead to Beijing: Systemism, Power Transition Theory and the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese Political Science Review, 8, pp. 18–44, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41111-022-00211-x.
28. Zhang, H. and Li, M., (2018). China and Transboundary Water Politics in Asia. Routledge.
Review
For citations:
Dung T.V., Nguyen T.K. Protecting the Right to Water in the Mekong River Basin: Addressing Vulnerable Groups amidst Climate Change and Anthropogenic Challenges. Kutafin Law Review. 2025;12(3):667-698. https://doi.org/10.17803/2713-0533.2025.3.33.667-698
Views:
108
Email this article 
