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Media coverage of UNGA President visit to IWHR

2023-02-06

President of 77th Session of UN General Assembly thumbs up China’s wisdom in coping with water crisis during in-person visit

By Hu Yuwei

Published: Feb 06, 2023 01:28 AM

President of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi exchanges ideas with the head of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) Kuang Shangfu on February 3, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of IWHR

The President of the 77th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Csaba K?r?si visited the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) on Friday during his trip to China, applauding China’s wisdom in dealing with water crises in ways that provides valuable experience to other countries.

At the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Korosi visited China from February 1 to 4, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Korosi believes that China's measures to deal with water crises are scientific and advanced, after gaining comprehensive knowledge of China's water science and technology development, and water engineering achievements in exchanges with relevant Chinese officials and water experts.

For the world today, the water crisis is imminent. In his speech, Korosi said that with climate change, floods, and droughts becoming more frequent around the world. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, about 400 million people around the world will be forced to leave their homes due to floods and droughts, which is unprecedented in human history.

In response to the global water challenge, the United Nations will convene the UN 2023 Water Conference from March 22 to 24 to steer a shift in water decision-making and truly improve water security and stability. 

"To meet such challenges, we must rely on scientific evidence," said Korosi.

He thanked China for its contribution to the realization of the water goals set by the UN Sustainable Development Agenda, and affirmed that science-based solutions to the water crisis would also provide valuable experience for other fields to fully realize the Sustainable Development Goals.

President of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly Csaba K?r?si visits?the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (CIWRHR) on February 3, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of CIWRHR

President of the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi visits?the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) on February 3, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of IWHR

Water is the source of all living things and the cornerstone of all the Sustainable Development Goals. The world today faces a series of global challenges, such as climate change, and water is the key to meeting them. The world must use a united, sustainable, and scientific approach to solve the problem, said Kuang Shangfu, head of the IWHR.

Chen Houqun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a senior engineer at the IWHR, elaborated on specific technical difficulties that China’s large water conservancy projects such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Dam have overcome. He offered examples of cases to demonstrate the contributions made by these major projects and contributed to China's economic boom and social development, such as in low-carbon emission reduction.


(Source: Global Times)



Chinese experts to work with UN to find solutions to global water crisis

By CGTN's You Yang

 

President of the United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi and experts at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) discussed solutions to the global water crisis during Korosi's four-day trip to China.

Korosi said in a meeting with President of IWHR Kuang Shangfu, the world urgently needs revolutionary solutions to help address challenges in the sustainable utilization of water resources, adding that in the next 20 years, about 400 million people around the world will be forced to leave their homelands due to floods and droughts.

President of the United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi visits the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research. /IWHR

Korosi reiterated that the United Nations is committed to applying scientific and systematic methods in resolving the global water crisis and spoke highly of Chinese water scientists' contribution to the realization of the UN's water-related goals.

China will participate in the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028) , which will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 22 to 24 and will be co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.

President of the United Nations General Assembly Csaba Korosi spoke with President of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research Kuang Shangfu. /IWHR

Kuang Shangfu said the IWHR will proactively participate in the upcoming conference as it strives to make more contributions to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also noted that active communications with different UN bodies shows that the IWHR looks forward to seeing more intensified cooperation as it joins with countries and regions to cope with the increasingly grim challenges the world faces in water resource management.

Meanwhile, the vice president of the institute, Peng Jing, outlined a series of achievements China has made in water resource management as it endeavors to cope with an increasing number of floods and droughts. China's large water conservancy projects, such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Three Gorges Project, have promoted carbon emission reduction, strengthened ecological protection and also boosted regional economic growth.

China's water disaster monitoring, early warning and forecasting system. /IWHR

Korosi expressed his admiration for China's work in water resource governance. He added he looks forward to seeing China play a guiding role in the UN Water Conference and make proactive contributions to the construction of a global system for water resource information. The UNGA president also expects China to play a key role in promoting the sustainable utilization of water resources around the globe.

The IWHR is a national research institution under the Ministry of Water Resources of China and is engaged in almost all the projects related to water resources and hydropower research. With several research departments and affiliated enterprises, the IWHR conducts evaluations in hydrology and water resources, water environment and ecology, flood control, drought relief and disaster reduction, as well as soil and water conservation and river and lake management.


(Source: CGTN)

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