IWHR convened water experts to share experiences and practices for addressing current global water challenges during the 18th World Water Congress, which was held from September 11 to 15 in Beijing, China.
Under the theme “Water for All: Harmony between Humans and Nature,” the 18th World Water Congress was to provide a meeting place to share experiences, promote discussion, and present new knowledge, research results and new developments in the field of water sciences, thus promoting coordination and balance between the water needs of humans and nature.
The Congress was co-hosted by the Ministry of Water Resources of China and the International Water Resources Association (IWRA). Li Guoying, Minister of Water Resources of China, prompted in his keynote speech for the opening ceremony that countries should work together to speed up the revolution and improvement of the global water governance system, in a bid to boost the harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind.
"China has made historic achievements in water governance. We have been contributing our share to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," said Mr. Li. He introduced China's guidelines for water governance, specified as to prioritize water conservation, to achieve special equilibrium, to implement systematic governance and to reach government-market synergy.
IWHR, a top-rank water-related research institute in China and one of the co-organizers of the Congress, organized the High-Level Plenary Session 1 (HLP1) on "Water-Economy (Agriculture, Industry, City...)-Ecology Nexus Under Changing Environment" and several special sessions / side events. Its experts and overseas friends also spoke in several other sessions and media interviews, sharing ideas, experiences and practices for tackling global water challenges.
IWHR also set up a pavilion at the exhibition to showcase the scientific and technological achievements of the institute.
Watch below the collection of IWHR highlights during the Congress:
