From May 17 to 25, 2024, Professor Gretchen Kalonji, Dean of the Institute of Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR), and Assistant Researcher Zhou Li, were invited to participate in the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.
The World Water Forum, co-hosted by the World Water Council and the host country government, is the largest international conference in the field. This forum saw the participation of 11 heads of state and brought together over 50,000 experts, scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders from more than 200 countries and international organizations. Under the theme "WATER FOR SHARED PROSPERITY", the forum featured 278 sessions covering topics such as water security and prosperity, water use for humans and nature, disaster reduction and management, governance cooperation and water diplomacy, sustainable water financing, and knowledge and innovation.
Dean Gretchen Kalonji, a senior advisor to the High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) and the co-chair of the Alliance of Alliances on Research and Education on Water and Disasters (AoA) under HELP, was invited to speak at several key sessions. These included the 6th Asian Development Bank Water Advisory Group Meeting, the 23rd United Nations High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters Meeting, the sub-forum on "Optimizing the Financial, Governance, Capacity Building, and Institutional Arrangements Needed to Reduce Water-related Disaster Risks," and the Bandung Spirit Water Summit. In her speeches, she highlighted the IDMR’s contributions in water-related disasters, the water-food-energy nexus, and environmental issues. She advocated for cross-sectoral decision-making to address these risks and emphasized the importance of integrated flood and drought management, knowledge integration, human resource investment, and establishing cross-sectoral frameworks at local, national, and global levels.
The Bandung Spirit Water Summit, a key event of the 10th World Water Forum, highlighted the importance of the "Bandung Spirit" in fostering international cooperation. The summit was co-chaired by former South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and Basuki Hadimuljono, Indonesia's Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, who also serves as the Chair of the 10th World Water Forum National Organizing Committee.
China's Minister of Water Resources, Li Guoying, attended the summit and delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing China's proactive implementation of President Xi Jinping's disaster prevention and relief philosophy, known as the "Two Persistences and Three Transformations." Minister Li highlighted efforts to achieve zero casualties, prevent dam collapses and breaches of major dikes, protect key infrastructure, and ensure urban and rural water supply security. He also discussed enhancements in flood control systems, rain and water monitoring and forecasting systems, and water and drought disaster defense systems, which have successfully mitigated the impacts of historically rare floods and droughts, thereby maximizing the protection of lives and property while minimizing disaster losses. Several international dignitaries, including Club of Madrid President Danilo Türk and the 77th UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi, also spoke at the event. Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech via video.
This participation not only showcased the contributions of the IDMR in water disaster prevention but also built an important bridge for communication and cooperation with international counterparts. In the future, the IDMR aims to further strengthen global cooperation, becoming a significant force in water resource management and disaster prevention and mitigation research. Together with international partners, the IDMR is committed to addressing global water resource challenges and advancing water resource management technologies and policies.
