IRTCES hosts side event “From Scientific Frontiers to Water Action” during UNESCO IHP 50th anniversary celebration

The side event titled “From Scientific Frontiers to Water Action,” part of the official celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of IHP and 60 years of UNESCO’s commitment to water sciences, kicked off on June 12 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Co-hosted by IRTCES, in collaboration with China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) and UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), the event attracted over 130 participants, including permanent delegates to UNESCO from more than 20 countries, as well as representatives from IHP National Committees, UNESCO Category 2 Centres, UNESCO Chairs, international organizations, research institutions, academia, and industry.

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The side event highlighted achievements and explored scientific frontiers to identify emerging challenges, opportunities, and prospects in hydrology science. These discussions contributed to the implementation of IHP-IX Phase. The side event assessed and identified the scientific challenges and frontiers of water sciences, as well as the translation of science into practical applications, including the way forward for IHP. The event also examined available data and national capacities for conducting scientific assessments of hydrology in Member States.

Ms. Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO; and Ms. YANG Xinyu, Chinese Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the People’s Republic of China to the UNESCO attended the event and delivered opening remarks. Ambassador Representatives from Austria, Luxembourg, Myanmar, DPRK, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Morocco and other member states participated in the events and made remarks. Over 130 participants from UNESCO member states, UNESCO IHP National Committees, UNESCO Category II centers and Chairs, other international organizations, institutes, and universities. The Opening was moderated by Mr. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.

Keynote speeches includes:

Science of Hydrology: From Scientific Frontiers to Application through IHP, Mr. Anil Mishra, Chief of the Hydrological Systems, Climate Change and Adaptation Section, UNESCO IHP;

Frontier of Water Sciences in China, Ms. PENG Jing, Director General of IRTCES, President of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR);

Water Science for Resilience and Sustainability, Mr. Matja? Miko?, Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia;

History and Development of China Hydrology, Mr. LIU Zhiyu, Director General of Department of Hydrology, Ministry of Water Resources, Chair of UNESCO IHP National Committee of the P. R. China

Dr. Peng Jing, President of IWHR and Director-General of IRTCES, delivered a keynote speech to discuss the increasing frequency of extreme climate events due to global climate change and the resulting severe challenges to global water security. She presented China’s achievements in high-quality water development, focusing on digital twinning hydrology and the “Four Precautionary Measures” for flood defense.

Dr. Peng also introduced research reports on river ethics and smart dams edited by IWHR, and highlighted China’s proactive role in contributing to UNESCO’s water science reports, sharing China’s water management experiences and solutions to invigorate global water governance cooperation.

The Panel Discussion with topic of 'Frontier in water sciences and way forward towards water action, water education, and water culture' was moderated by Mr. Abou Amani, Director, Division of Water Sciences Secretary, UNESCO IHP. Mr. Helmut Habersack, UNESCO IHP Chairperson, President of WASER, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna; Mr. Harald Koethe, Director of International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC); Mr. David Hannah, University of Birmingham, UNESCO Chair in Water Science; Mr. Toshio Koike, Director, UNESCO International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM); and Mr. Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya, Director of Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management participated in the discussions.