Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership

The Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership worked with governments in the Lower Mekong region to build capacity for managing the impacts of environmental change. The program supported planners and policymakers in the use of technical and conceptual tools to better understand how pressures on land and water resources were affecting local populations. SIP provided training in applying cumulative impact assessment, enabled collaboration for monitoring and managing socioeconomic data, and promoted sharing of data and information about water resources. The program served as a platform for countries to cooperate in addressing transboundary development challenges, including the impacts of upstream hydropower dams on the Mekong. Through training, dialogue, and partnerships, countries were better able to anticipate and manage issues such as reduced fishery yields, salinity intrusion, and groundwater depletion. SIP was implemented by Pact and was part of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership, which built on the work of the previous Lower Mekong Initiative in strengthening water security in the region.