Expert Workshop for the project “Capacity building for measuring multi-hazard livelihood security and resilience in the lower Mekong basin” supported by Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) was successfully organized on 30 – 31 May 2022 by Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation, and Management (DPMM), Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. The hybrid WorkshopWorkshop flagged off with the Opening Remarks from Dr. Linda Anne Stevenson, Head of Knowledge Management & Scientific Affairs, and Deputy Head of Development & Institutional Affairs and Research, APN.
Dr. Indrajit Pal, Principal Investigator of the project, welcomed the experts and scholars and briefed them about this multi-country project and regional perspectives on “Multi-Hazard Livelihood Security and Resilience in Lower Mekong Basin.” In his presentation, Dr. Pal highlighted how multiple hazards impact people’s livelihood in LMB and how communities adapt to them. Similarly, sharing the national perspective of Thailand, Dr. Puvadol Doydee from Kasetsart University, Thailand, presented that 11 million people who work in farming and crop production are expected to suffer. Dr. Chau Tran from Vietnam also shared some of their studies on the impacts of drought, flood, thunderstorms, and landslides on lives and livelihood in An Giang Province, Vietnam. Dr. Seak Sophat, from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, shared a case study of Kandel Province, Cambodia, and discussed how the geolocation of the province is in the floodplain area and gets flooded every year.
Located in one of the most hazard-prone areas, the Mekong river basin countries are frequently exposed to hydrometeorological hazards, and managing these hazards is becoming a key challenge. The APN supported a capacity development project addressing the emerging issues of multi-hazard livelihood security and resilience in the Mekong region. The expert workshop has finalized and validated the Livelihood Security and Resilience Assessment (LiSeRA) Framework co-developed by Dr. Indrajit Pal (Project Leader) and collaborators, Dr. Parameshwar Digamber Udmale, Dr. Puvadol Doydee, Dr. Piyanuch Jaikaew, Dr. Tanh Nguyen and Dr. Seak Sophat along with project research scholars Mr. Ganesh Dhungana and Ms. Mayuri Gadhave. The development of the novel LiSeRA framework is relevant to several Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11, and 13. The developed framework is expected to support policymakers, academia, and development practitioners in assessing multi-hazard livelihood security and resilience in the lower Mekong basin.
Prof. Vilas Nitivattananon, Dean, AIT’s School of Environment, Resource and Development, addressed the expert workshop participants on the valedictory program on 31 May 2022.
