Good governance is central to improving the effective delivery of urban environmental services, management of natural resources and protection of vital ecosystems in Asia. Strengthening the governance systems and capacity of national and local governments is a critical strategy for improving environmental conditions, and promoting overall transparency, accountability and respect for the rule of law in the region.
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement
While many Asian governments have developed new environmental legal frameworks to respond to environmental challenges, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws has remained weak due to technical, financial and human resource limitations. With support from ECO-Asia and ADB, in 2005 Asian leaders established the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) 
, a regional practitioner network which promotes improved compliance with environmental legal requirements through regional exchange of innovative policies and practices.
Serving as the current AECEN Secretariat, ECO-Asia works with AECEN member countries to assess country compliance and enforcement programs and implement pilot activities that demonstrate innovation. Developed in partnership with local stakeholders, pilot activities incorporate ECO-Asia small grants, technical assistance and counterpart exchange to promote adoption of new environmental policies, practices and systems, and link to capacity strengthening efforts and performance indicators. ECO-Asia also supports the AECEN annual forum, as well as regional training and toolkits.
Regional Cooperation in the Mekong River Basin
Established in 1995, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an intergovernmental organization that fosters cooperation among the four lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. In support of the National Mekong Committees (NMCs), the MRC Secretariat (MRCS) works to preserve the natural resources and environmental quality of the river basin, and to promote interdependent economic growth. The MRC’s goal is to achieve this mission through participatory and collaborative decision-making within and among the Mekong countries.
The MRC Strategic Plan for 2006-2010 includes a goal for the MRC to enhance effective regional cooperation. One objective under this goal is, “[t]o identify potential transboundary issues for negotiation, mediation and conflict prevention; and develop mediation and conflict management capacity.” To achieve this objective, the MRC is developing new mechanisms and institutional arrangements for addressing transboundary conflict in partnership with international and regional development partners.
To promote regional cooperation among MRC Member Countries, ECO-Asia and the MRC Secretariat are collaborating on a multi-year program for Member Countries to work together to adopt improved conflict prevention and management policies, plans, and mechanisms. ECO-Asia support includes targeted technical assistance and conflict prevention and management training, and counterpart exchange to share best practices.
