Global Affiliates

Dr. Pech Sokhem is the Executive Director and senior researcher or lead trainer in Water Law, Climate Change and Environmental Law and Policy, in the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI).

He is an accomplished water law and transboundary water governance lecturer, lead trainer, researcher and executive manager. He has been associated with these fields for more than 29 years with the national governments, international organizations, and the universities in Australia, Canada, Cambodia, China and Japan. He led a series of international and regional training in the international water law and operationalization of the key substantive and procedural provisions with the transboundary river basin organizations in the Mekong Region and East Asia involving Afghanistan and Central Asia. From 2018 to December 2019, he was the Senior Trainer and Coach for the Cambodian universities (Royal University of Agriculture and Institute of Technology of Cambodia) in the collaborative projects and the Wuhan University (WHU) School of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering (SWRHE).

He is an active member of the Silk Road Think Tank Network with that was jointly initiated by the Development Research Center (DRC) of the State Council of PRC with relevant international think tanks, international organizations and world-renowned enterprises, in October 2015.

From 1992 to 1995, Dr. Pech advised the Government of Cambodia in the negotiation of the 1995 Mekong Agreement with the governments of Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and from 2000 to 2003, he led an international working group by conducting series of international water trainings and exchange visits to relevant international river basin arrangements in North America, Europe and Australia.

Prior to that he was a Program Leader and International Law Specialist under the WWF/Dundee University’s UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses: Raising Awareness Program from May 2012- June 2013 by delivering the Regional and national water law training for the National Governments in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

His publications include:

Sam Sreymom and Pech Sokhem, eds. 2015. Climate Change and Water Governance in Cambodia: Challenge and Perspectives for Water Security and Climate Change in Selected Catchments, Cambodia. Phnom Penh: CDRI.

Sokhem P, 2011. Examining Legitimacy and Legality in the Context of Multi-lateral, Multi-river Basin Treaty Frameworks - UN Watercourses Convention and Greater Mekong Sub-region, (in press) IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science (CWLPS), University of Dundee.

Sokhem P (2010). “Cambodia and Mekong Water Resources Governance”, in Sato J. (ed.) “Transboundary Resources and Environment in Mainland Southeast Asia”, Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, pp. 151 – 170.

Sokhem P, 2008. Peer-reviewed book chapter: Chapter 6 Implementing Transboundary Management of Water Resources, in: Claudia S, et al (Edit) Share - Management Water across Boundaries, IUCN Environmental Law Programme, IUCN Environmental Law Centre, pp. 85 -93.

Sokhem P, Sunada K and Oishi S, 2007, Managing Transboundary Rivers: The Case of the Mekong River Basin, International Water Resources Association Water International, Volume 32, Number 4, Pg. 503-523, December 2007.

Bionote

Sokhem is an accomplished executive manager and a specialist in international water law, climate change and international water law and policy capacity development, strategic planning and program management, dispute management, and communication and knowledge management.

Sokhem holds a PhD in a multi-disciplinary and sustainability science (Tohuku University, top three ‘Imperial Universities” in Japan), and two masters’ degrees in sustainable development and international law (Calgary University, Canada) and the public international law (Moscow State Institute of International Relation, Russia). His academic knowledge has been further enriched by decade-long practical experiences in leading research and development, and policy advisory services in the field of international water law, climate change and water law and governance capacity development programs.

Prior to becoming the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) and affiliate member of the Academy, he has had first-hand experience in:

Leading and directing the day to day operational activities of the diplomatic relations and inter-governmental negotiation of the international river treaties (1981-1985, 1991-1993, and 1995-1997) and as a diplomat and international lawyer, and Chief of Staff in the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA&IC) (1997-2000),

leading the politically, culturally and technically challenging Mekong River Commission Secretariat (2000-2004) and directing and managing series of advisory and water law capacity and institutional development (2007-2019).

Being a leading member of the multi-disciplinary research organizations/programs (e.g. he was a Senior Policy Researcher in the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s CREST Program, Co-chair of the Mekong Program of Water, Environment and Resilience (MPOWER), and a leading member in the Water, Land and Ecosystems in the Greater Mekong (WLE) from 2004 to 2016, and member of the Silk Road Think Tank Network.