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A milestone for UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme in Asia and the Pacific
On 8-10 November 2023, Malaysia hosted again, after 11 years, the IHP Regional Steering Committee Meeting for Asia and the Pacific (RSC-AP), organized in parallel with the Water Resource Forum 2023. The event brought together 241 delegates from 15 countries.
The RSC was established in 1993. Before that, there was no hydrologist lobby in the Asia-Pacific region, and very little communication, which also limited the sharing of knowledge with neighbouring countries.
The first part of the event, a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the RSC-AP was open to the public, to enhance the visibility of RSC’s overarching visions and notable achievements. Water experts and professionals highlighted the historical significance and contributions of the RSC-AP to water issues. The event facilitated the sharing of current challenges and best practices, providing a platform to envision the future path of RSC-AP in the Asia-Pacific Region. The anniversary session was open to the public to enhance the visibility of RSC’s overarching visions and notable achievements.
A total of 117 delegates, including 55 virtual participants from the IHP National Committee, UNESCO Category 2 Centres, Chairs, and water networks in Asia and the Pacific attended the 30th Session of the RSC-AP Meeting. They engaged in dynamic discussions and knowledge-sharing on the current status and challenges encountered during the implementation of IHP Phase IX. The meeting also featured a dedicated session to discuss the possible contribution of the IHP RSC-AP for the upcoming 10th World Water Forum in May 2024.
The RSC-AP initiatives have helped and will help to ensure the IHP vision of strengthening capacity and science-based knowledge to inform decision-making on water management and governance, to attain sustainable development and build resilience in the region.
Participants also took part in the 6th Workshop on Catalogue of Hydrologic Analysis (CHA). The workshop provided an opportunity for the contributors of CHA Volume 3 “Groundwater” to discuss a variety of groundwater challenges from arid areas to small islands in Asia and the Pacific and the potential solutions as well as the theme for the upcoming volume of CHA. Participants were invited to a study visit to Putrajaya Wetland Park, UNESCO Ecohydrology Demonstration Site, and the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART): the system bypasses stormwater to prevent the city centre of Kuala Lumpur from flooding, which has prevented several potentially disastrous floods since its commencement of operation in 2007.
The meeting was convened by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage under the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change of Malaysia, the Malaysian National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO Jakarta with funding support from Japan, through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust.
