Join the ANU Fenner School and Institute for Water Futures for a seminar by Dr Anoulak Kittikhoun.

Dr Anoulak Kittikhoun is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat. A leader, strategist, TedX speaker and international relations and water diplomacy expert, Dr Anoulak led the formulation and adoption of the Mekong Basin Development Strategy (BDS) 2016-2020 and 2021-2030 and has previously served at the United Nations (UN) Secretariat in New York. He has authored two books; River Basin Organizations in Water Diplomacy; and Small Countries, Big Diplomacy.

In this seminar, Dr Anoulak will draw on his extensive experience to reflect on what sustainable management of the Mekong River will mean in a globalising world.

The seminar will run from 1-2pm followed by a complimentary light snack. This is an in-person-only event. Limited spots are available so please register as soon as possible to confirm your place.

About the speaker

Dr Anoulak leads the MRC Secretariat headquartered in Vientiane and its flood and drought management centre in Phnom Penh, to support the implementation of the Mekong Basin Development Strategy (BDS) 2021–2030 and MRC Strategic Plan (SP) 2021–2025.

Prior to his appointment as the CEO, Dr Anoulak led the MRC Secretariat’s Office of CEO as Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer from 2016. Before the MRC, Dr Anoulak, was an international staff of the United Nations (UN) Secretariat in New York, including the Department of Political Affairs (UN-DPA) and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA). Earlier in his career, he was a researcher at the Ralph Bunch Institute for International Studies (RBIIS), an adjunct professor of international relations at Brooklyn College of New York, and an advisor at the Permanent Mission of Laos to the United Nations.

Dr Anoulak is the co-author of two books: River Basin Organizations in Water Diplomacy, and Small Countries, Big Diplomacy, and has published peer-reviewed book chapters and articles in leading journals such as Theory and Society, International Studies Review and Journal of Hydrology, on topics including the United Nations, conflict management, Lao PDR, and the Mekong. His article on the Lao revolution and geography won the Reinhard Bendix award from the American Sociological Association.

Dr Anoulak received a Bachelor’s degree in commerce and international relations, graduating as an International Valedictorian, from the Australian National University (ANU) and a Master and Doctor of Philosophy in political science and development from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

He is selected as a “Future Leader” by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Southeast Asia Young Leader” by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and nominated as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum.

A trained facilitator and mediator, Dr Anoulak is the first Tedx speaker in Lao PDR and has spoken at international conferences, missions, and expert group meetings in over 30 countries, contributing to dialogue, diplomacy and peace, development, and advancement of knowledge and practice in international rivers governance and management.