The UNESCO – IHP - International Sediment Initiative (ISI) 'Programme Planning Workshop' was held by UNESCO IHP, IRTCES and the UNESCO Beijing Office in Beijing, China from 25-28 May 2015.
The workshop brought together members of the ISI advisory and expert groups, representatives of relevant UNESCO Category II Centres and Chairs and other partner organizations, as well as other stakeholders to discuss action plan for the future ISI programme, set priorities, and explore opportunities for collaborative projects with partner agencies within the framework of the ISI objectives.
The opening ceremony was held in the No. 5 Hongyun Hall of the Xiyuan Hotel on May 25, 2015. The ISI Chair Prof. Manfred Spreafico, Director of Department of International Cooperation, Science & Technology of Ministry of Water Resources of China Mr. Zhao Hao, UNESCO Beijing Office Programme Specialist for Natural Sciences Dr. Hans Dencker Thulstrup, UNESCO Programme Specialist for Hydrological System & Water Scarcity Section and IHP Secretariat Dr. Anil Mishra, Vice Chair of IHP China Prof. Heng Liu and IRTCES Deputy Director Prof. Duihu Ning made speeches.
Presentation and discussion sessions were held on May 25 – 27 including:
1) Keynote Presentation: State of Knowledge and ISI role - Prof. Des Walling
2) Presentation Session 1 Ongoing Activities of UNESCO based Institutions and Potential Linkages with ISI. This session includes short presentations and discussion aimed at disseminating information related to the activities of other International Groups and the potential for collaboration with ISI.
3) Presentation Session 2 Activities of Professional Organizations and Institutions. This session includes short presentations and discussion aimed at disseminating information related to the activities of relevant Professional Organizations and Institutions and the potential for collaboration with ISI.
4) Presentation Session 3 Development Agencies and Donors: Interests in Sediment. This session includes short presentations and discussion by representatives of Development Agencies and Donors to provide information on their activities and opportunities for collaboration and funding.
5) Presentation Session 4 Technical Discussion. This session includes presentations and discussion on Sediment data, Integrated sediment management of rivers and other studies related to sediment and potential links with ISI
6) Interactive Session 1 (Round table). Objective: Dialogue between science and policy making – Science for Policy making. There is a number of science oriented themes for this session. The goal is to identify the ways in which science can address issues which policy makers face today and to link them to the process of policy making.
7) Interactive Session 2 (Panel Debate). Objective: dialogue with stakeholders. This session has a set of questions to guide a panel debate between representatives from different parties.
8) Identification of Local, Regional, and Global challenges based on the previous sessions and suggestions of ways to address them.
9) ISI Action Plan, Priorities, Joint Programmes, Funding Sources.
Following a series of presentations on sediment-related research and other activities undertaken by the participating organizations, participants reflected on the revised ISI objectives and identified specific actions to be taken in pursuit of these.
On May 28, participants undertook a study tour of the Daxing Experimental Base of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydro Power Research (IWHR) in the southern suburb of Beijing where they examined sediment research laboratories, hydraulic machinery demonstrations, and irrigation and drainage research projects.
