Actors

This chapter provides a description of the Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) process of the Xayaburi hydropower dam. It focuses on an understanding of key actors' positions, as they can potentially influence the advocacy strategies adopted by the case-study NGO coalitions. The chapter highlights the shift in the actors' positions and the dynamics in their relationships throughout the PNPCA process. During the first six months of the PNPCA, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) member states' activities and negotiations took place primarily within the MRC. The implementation of the PNPCA process of the Xayaburi dam was to a large extent dependent on actors' interpretations of the requirements and ambiguities in the requirements. This situation created difficulties for NGOs in both Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as for the negotiating governments themselves, and hindered a clear conclusion as to the way forward in the process.