AGIRE: Support for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Namsa Basin

AGIRE contributes to the implementation of integrated and inclusive water resources management in the Namsa watershed (Laos, Bolikhamxay Province, Paksan and Pakkading districts), directly dependent on the Mekong. Working in 10 villages (7,811 inhabitants), AGIRE aims to improve access to water and sanitation, strengthen local governance and promote climate-resilient practices. It brings together a plurality of stakeholders – village committees, local authorities (health, agriculture & environment, Lao Women’s Union), Laotian associations and technical partners – around a common and coordinated vision for water management. This cross-sectoral approach takes the form of rehabilitating water infrastructure, strengthening technical and local governance skills, and promoting more resilient practices. Based on a participatory and inclusive approach, the project is committed to long-term sustainable and shared management of the resource at the scale of the Nasma watershed. The LWR application aims to strengthen specific objective 3 of the project by integrating the TerriStories® approach—an innovative participatory method based on a serious game—to enable communities in the coto build their own action plans for water resources management and adaptation to climate change, directly linked to the preservation of the Mekong whose Namsa is a tributary. The certification will strengthen the project’s credibility, its international visibility, and, if awarded, will make it possible to fund the entire TerriStories[1]® implementation in the field (€15,000). AGIRE has been implemented by the Committee for Cooperation with Laos (CCL) since February 2026, and is funded by the French Development Agency, the Rhine-Meuse Water Agency, the EDF Group Foundation, the City of Paris, and the communities themselves (total budget: €628,600).