VIENTIANE, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The Mekong River Commission Secretariat has vowed to become one of the first paperless organizations in Laos as part of its efforts to protect environment and promote regional sustainable growth.

The MRC CEO, Pham Tuan Phan, said that the secretariat of the intergovernmental organization of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand had drawn up a paperless regulation as one of its development plans, local online newspaper Vientiane Times reported on Sunday.

The paperless initiative, put into practice last year, aims to encourage MRC staff to use less paper so they can join Mekong regional efforts to save timber resources the main raw material for the paper processing industry, Phan said at a ceremony to mark Laos' National Arbour Day on Friday.

Phan said the implementation of the paperless office policy was possible due to improved IT technology and digitalization.

He said the MRC office is working to become a plastic-free organization to help save the planet, protect the environment, and promote green and sustainable growth in the Mekong region.

The MRC is an intergovernmental organization for regional dialogue and cooperation in the lower Mekong river basin. Established in 1995, the organization serves as a regional platform for water diplomacy and as a knowledge hub for water resources management for the sustainable development of the region.