In 2020, the Lower Mekong Initiative was upgraded and expanded to the Mekong-U.S. Partnership (MUSP). The MUSP Track 1.5 Policy Dialogue series is a flagship initiative of the Partnership and includes eight virtual and in-person dialogues from 2021 to 2024 focusing on key policy and sustainability challenges facing Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. This discussion will launch the summary report to share takeaways and policy recommendations from the 8th Policy Dialogue, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City in March 2024 as a deep dive on needs and opportunities related to fisheries, rice intensification, climate-smart agriculture, innovation, and supply chains.
Featured Speakers
Leng Phalla, Administrative Manager, Marine Conservation Cambodia
Phalla has 14 years of experience working in marine conservation and was involved the creation of Cambodia’s first MFMA around the Koh Rong Archipelago. Her experience and good relationships within local fishing communities is invaluable in helping to blend good management of protected areas with the needs of local communities. She is experienced in marine research, and is involved with the training new generations of Cambodians in all aspects of marine conservation.
Kanokwan May Chodchoey, Group Head of Public Affairs, East-West Seeds
May Chodchoey holds a PhD in Biotechnology from Mahidol University. She began her career in Monsanto then was the Executive Director of the Asia and Pacific Seed Alliance where she built a strong network of stakeholders in the seed supply chain in both public and private sectors for seed policy advocacy and capacity building programs on plant variety protection and international seed movement. Her current role at East-West Seed is to guide and monitor the public affairs strategy.
Lyndal Hugo, Chief Impact Officer and Co-founder, Orlar
Dr. Lyndal Hugo is co-founder and CEO of Orlar, a company formed in 2014 in Australia to address issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation through enhanced energy, food and water security. Dr Hugo completed undergraduate degrees, PhD and Post- Doctoral appointments (University of Sydney) in environmental chemistry and residues in food chains. Before founding Orlar, she had 20 years of environmental accounting for some of the world’s largest energy and agricultural companies.
Holly L. Thomas, Director, Office of Multilateral Affairs in the Bureau of East Asian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Holly Lindquist Thomas is the Office Director of the Multilateral Affairs Office in the Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Her office focuses on ASEAN, Mekong, and South China Sea issues. Prior to this, she served as Deputy Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, leading on energy, environment, science, technology, and health. She previously served in Kathmandu, Istanbul, Tashkent, and The Hague, in addition to Washington assignments in the European and Economic Bureaus, as well as the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. She has studied five languages. Holly has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Mankato State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota School of Law. Before joining the Department of State, Holly practiced law in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Moderator
Brian Eyler, Southeast Asia Program Director, The Stimson Center
Brian Eyler directs the Southeast Asia Program and the Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program. He is an expert on transboundary issues in the Mekong region and specializes in China’s economic cooperation with Southeast Asia. He spent more than 15 years living and working in China and over the last two decades has conducted extensive research with stakeholders in the Mekong region.
Header image: Văn Long Bùi @Pexels