The UNESCO Natural Science Centers Coordination Meeting was held in Beijing, China， during the period of May 16-18， 2016. More than 160 participants from 65 associated centers of Natural Sciences Sector network attended the meeting. Flavia Schlegel, assistant Director General of natural sciences of UNESCO, Zhou Ji, president of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Tan Tieniu, vice president of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhou Jiagui, vice Secretary General of Chinese National Commission for UNESCO gave speeches.

It is the first time for UNESCO to organize Natural Science Centers Coordination Meeting. The aim is to increase the cooperation between regional/similarly-themed Centers under the auspices of UNESCO, e.g. initiating the establishment of an information sharing platform among all Category 2 Centers, discuss and identify contributions of the Centers to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through independent but also joint projects, and identify how the Centers can increase their contribution to the implementation of SC’s program of work for the current biennium (2016-2017) and beyond.

Professor Ning Duihu, vice director of International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES), one of the Category 2 Centers, and Liu Xiaoying, Deputy Division Chief, Division of International Exchange and Information from IRTCES were invited to take part in the meeting.