On September 25, the 2nd Global River Forum, a side event of UNESCO, was held in Beijing. The event was jointly organized by IWHR and UNESCO's Regional Office for East Asia, with IRTCES taking on the organization. Peng Jing, President of IWHR and Director-General of IRTCES, and Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO's Regional Office for East Asia, attended the meeting and delivered opening remarks. The three editors-in-chief of the River journal—Academician Wang Hao of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and IWHR, Distinguished Visiting Professor Asit K. Biswas at the University of Glasgow, and Senior Researcher Cao Wenhong from IWHR—attended the meeting. More than 70 water experts and representatives from Asia and around the world participated in the meeting on-site, with over 1,000 participants watching the live broadcast online.

 (i)       Highlights

Peng Jing, in her opening remarks, noted that over the past two years, the River journal has focused on exploring and promoting the concepts, theories, and methods of harmonious coexistence between humans and rivers from multiple perspectives, including nature, engineering, technology, management, strategy, and culture. It has provided a high-quality platform for the display and exchange of original scientific research achievements, contributing more wisdom and strength to the global water science and technology community. This year, the third issue of River published a cover article on the construction of river ethics, marking the first time a ministerial-level leader shared the latest water governance philosophy in the journal. This reflects the journal's interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and cross-issue comprehensive characteristics. Looking ahead, she expressed her hope that, through innovative thinking, rigorous research, and open exchanges, the journal platform would contribute to a better understanding of the world and make greater contributions to social development.

Shahbaz Khan highlighted that rivers are the cradles of human civilization and world heritage sites. The River journal has created a cross-disciplinary comprehensive research and exchange platform that aligns well with UNESCO's areas of focus and support. The journal's editorial board comprises top scholars and experts from various fields, making it a truly international and high-standard English-language journal. It is expected to play a positive role in promoting river protection and development and fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Cao Wenhong presided over the opening ceremony, reviewing the development and achievements of the River journal over the past year and a half. The journal has been indexed and included in the SCOPUS, EI, and DOAJ databases, demonstrating the international academic community's recognition of its academic level and publication quality.

During the keynote speeches, Academician Wang Hao of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and IWHR, Academician Xia Jun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at Wuhan University, Distinguished Visiting Professor Asit K. Biswas of the University of Glasgow, Vice-President of the River journal and Academician Slobodan Simonovic of the Royal Society of Canada and the University of Western Ontario, Distinguished Professor Olli Varis of Aalto University, and Deputy Dean Zhao Jianshi of the Department of Civil Engineering at Tsinghua University delivered speeches on topics such as "Ecological Scheduling and the Game of Fish and Humans," "The Role of Water System Science and Technology in Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6," "Achievements of Modern Water Governance in China," "Key Issues in River Ethics," "Global Water Resource and Basin Spatiotemporal Data Analysis," and "Connecting General Artificial Intelligence with Industry Applications through Large Hydro Models."

The keynote speeches were chaired by Professor Philip Gourbesville, Executive Vice-President of the River journal and President of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research, and Senior Researcher Guo Qingchao from IWHR.

During the expert discussion session, participants including Vice-President Marco Arcieri of the River journal and President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, former Executive Editor-in-Chief of Science Advances Philippa Jane Benson, Executive Editor of International Soil and Water Conservation Research Qu Liqin, Vice-President and Professor Wang Fang from Peking University, Director of the UNESCO Regional Center for Integrated River Basin Management Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya, Professor Yi Yujun from Beijing Normal University, and expert Daisuke Harada from the UNESCO International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management, discussed topics such as China's active measures in river protection and governance, the future development of interdisciplinary river research, and the role of big data and artificial intelligence in improving river management and decision-making. The discussion session was chaired by Vice-President and Senior Researcher Jia Yangwen from IWHR.

Academician Wang Hao concluded the meeting, emphasizing that rivers, as an integral part of natural ecosystems, are directly related to the maintenance of biodiversity within river basins, the sustainable use of water resources, and the sustainable development of human society. He highlighted the enduring significance of river research and discussions and expressed his hope that the outcomes of this symposium would be widely applied in future river research and governance practices. He also looked forward to continued reliance on the journal platform to advance global river governance and the cause of human sustainable development.

Prof. Qu Liqin from IRTCES Participated in the Panel Discussion

(ii)       Achievements

(1) The event publicized President Xi Jinping's ecological civilization thought and introduced China's achievements in the field of river-related research and governance.

(2) The River journal has become a high-quality platform for the display and exchange of scientific research achievements, contributing more wisdom and strength to the global water science and technology community.

(3) The forum played a positive role in promoting river protection and development and fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

(iii)       Reflections and Suggestions

The River journal platform covers not only engineering and technology but also policy, management, culture, and history. Its high degree of alignment with UNESCO's areas of focus suggests significant potential for closer cooperation with UNESCO and other institutions to make greater contributions to societal development.