ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the background to the rules and norms that affect the advocacy strategies of the two case-study NGO coalitions. It discusses rules and norms at the Mekong regional level and also at national levels. The 1995 Mekong Agreement is an agreement among four riparian states on the Mekong River. The Agreement aims to promote cooperation for the sustainable development, utilization, management, and conservation of the Mekong River Basin. The chapter presents two main categories of rules and norms, such as formal rules and informal rules and norms. It focuses on the political and historical contexts associated with the development of rules and norms. The chapter highlights differences in the formal rules that govern NGOs in Cambodia and Vietnam. In Vietnam, formal rules create stronger control of NGOs by the state, compared with Cambodia. The comparison identifies that the constitutions of both Cambodia and Vietnam guarantee freedom of expression.
