I participated in the 31st IHP Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting for Asia and the Pacific as the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) representative. The meeting was held in Seoul Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea, hosted by the Water Resources Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Environment, the UNESCO IHP National Committee of Korea, and facilitated by the IHP RSC-AP Secretariat at the UNESCO Office in Jakarta. The event was supported by Japan Funds-in-Trust (JFIT). Representatives from UNESCO National Committees of Asia-Pacific member countries and members of the UNESCO Water Family in the region, including UNESCO Category 2 Centers and UNESCO Chairs, actively participated.

The meeting aimed to achieve three main objectives:

1. Review and Evaluation: To report on and evaluate the achievements and lessons learned from activities implemented within the five priority areas and cross-cutting themes of the IHP-IX Strategic Plan since the previous meeting. These updates were provided by UNESCO IHP National Committee representatives and the UNESCO Water Family in the Asia-Pacific region.
2. Addressing Regional Challenges: Discuss emerging challenges in the region and identify effective approaches and methods to address them within the framework of the IHP-IX focus areas.
3. Knowledge Sharing: To promote exchanging knowledge and experiences among participants, including scientists, expert practitioners, and government officials. The meeting featured discussions on specific issues, a roundtable on “Water-related Disaster Response in the Asia-Pacific Region in line with IHP-IX,” and a workshop on the Catalogue of Hydrological Analysis (CHA).

Highlights of the Morning Session

The morning session began with opening remarks by:

• Mr. Kim Kue-bum, Director General of Water Resources Policy, Ministry of Environment, Korea
• Mr. Dae Hee Ahn, Director General, Seoul Metropolitan Government
• Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director, UNESCO East Asia Regional Office
• Mr. Soontak Lee, Honorary Chair, National Commission for UNESCO IHP Korea

Following this, Prof. Joo-Heon Lee, Vice Chair of the UNESCO IHP Korea National Committee, delivered a presentation titled “UNESCO’s Water Science Frontiers and Science-Based Water Management in Korea.”

Key Discussions and Outcomes

Mr. Kwansue Jung, RSC-AP Chair and Chair of the UNESCO IHP Korea National Committee, shared the outcomes of the IHP-IX Roundtable discussion held the previous day (October 30). The roundtable, organized by the Water Resources Policy Bureau of the Korean Ministry of Environment and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO IHP, focused on implementing IHP-IX to address water-related disasters in Asia and the Pacific.

Representatives from five countries delivered the “Call to Action from the RSC-AP” for each of the five priority areas under the IHP-IX framework. This call to action will be widely disseminated as part of efforts to promote a climate- and water-resilient Asia in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO IHP in 2025.

The afternoon session of the 31st RSC-AP began with country reports from the UNESCO IHP Asia-Pacific Regional National Committees, followed by updates from the UNESCO Water Family on their activities aligned with the IHP-IX priority areas since the previous meeting.

Prof. Takahiro Sayama, from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, and Secretary General of the IHP Asia-Pacific Steering Committee, presented the efforts of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO-IHP.

As part of the reports from the UNESCO Water Family, Chief Researcher Mr. Tomoyuki Okada from ICHARM, a UNESCO Category 2 Center, shared updates on ICHARM’s initiatives. Moreover, Prof. Sayama reported on the activities of the UNESCO Chair in Water, Energy, and Disaster Research (WENDI) at Kyoto University.

The author, invited as a representative of APWF, introduced APWF’s efforts as a member of the UNESCO Water Family, aligning them with the IHP-IX priority areas. The author reported on the outcomes of the 10th World Water Forum Asia-Pacific Regional Process, focusing on:

• Priority Area 4: Integrated Water Resources Management in the Context of Global Change
• Priority Area 5: Science-Based Water Governance for Mitigation, Adaptation, and Resilience

It is because the 10-topic framework of the Asia-Pacific Regional Process was developed with contributions from RSC-AP members following thematic discussions and feedback collection since last year’s meeting.

The author also shared insights from the three Stockholm World Water Week 2024: Asia-Pacific Regional Focus Session, highlighting key outcomes that will guide APWF network activities over the next three years. These activities align with the IHP-IX framework and address its priority areas.

As part of the discussion on Priority Area 1: Scientific Research and Innovation, the author introduced the Flood Risk Mapping Using Satellite Data and Rainfall-Runoff Inundation (RRI) Models initiative, showcasing its relevance to advancing scientific research and practical applications in the region.

Following activity reports from each country and the UNESCO Water Family, the participants discussed the publication plan for the upcoming UNESCO Scientific Report, which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the IHP and the 60th anniversary of UNESCO’s Water Science Sector.

The meeting concluded with the Chair of the Regional Steering Committee for Asia and the Pacific (RSC-AP) election for the 2025-2027 term. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Nga, Chair of the UNESCO IHP National Committee for Vietnam and Director of the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Climate Change (IMHEN), was elected as the next Chair. Dr. Pham Thi Thanh Nga is notably the first female Chair of Vietnam’s UNESCO IHP National Commission and the first woman to serve as Chair of the RSC-AP.

On the eve of the RSC-AP meeting (October 30), the 7th Catalogue of Hydrologic Analysis (CHA*) workshop was held. This workshop is a joint initiative of the IHP RSC-AP supported by the Japan Trust Fund for UNESCO (J-FIT). Prof. Kenichiro Kobayashi, a Research Committee Member of the IHP Japan National Sub-committee and the editor of the CHA Report Series, moderated the workshop. This year’s CHA focused on drought; the case studies were presented from Australia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

(*) The past publication of the CHA is available from UNESCO IHP RSC for Asia and the Pacific.

（Reporter: Yumiko Asayama, Chief Manager）