The 27th Regional Steering Committee (RSC) Meeting of the UNESCO IHP Asia and Pacific was held in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, from October 28 to November 1. At the meeting, Yu Zhongbo, Vice Chairman of Chinese National Committee for the IHP of UNESCO and Director of State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, was selected as Chairman of UNESCO IHP Asia and Pacific.
Professor Yu Zhongbo has long been engaged in teaching and research in the field of hydrology and water resources. He worked as the chief scientist of the first batch of National Key Research and Development Projects. He successively directed and completed more than 50 scientific research projects including projects in 973 Program, Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China and International Cooperation and Exchanges Fund.He has won one second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award and two first prizes of Dayu Water Conservancy Science and Technology Award granted by the Ministry of Water Resources. He has published more than 250 SCI papers in international authoritative journals including WRR, JH and JGR, with a total number of citations reaching 5,000. In addition, Professor Yu Zhongbo has 29 authorized patents. In 2004, he was selected as Fellow of Geological Society of America (GSA). In 2005, he won John Hem Award for Excellence in Science & Engineering granted by National Ground Water Association (NGWA), America. In 2016, he was awarded as the title of National Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker. In 2017, he won the May 1 Labor Medal of Jiangsu Province.
IHP is now the most important international cooperation activity in the field of hydrology. It has been implemented since 1975 and China is one of the member states. IHP is aimed at organizing member states to implement a series of projects, including studies of hydrologic cycle, the impact of human activities on hydrologic cycle, the rational estimation and effective utilization of water resources. Also, it helps organize related publications, academic conferences and regional cooperation to promote international hydrological cooperation. IHP is led by IHP Intergovernmental Council, which is composed of UNESCO council members. RSC is not only a high-level forum jointly sponsored by domestic and foreign authorities, but also the only intergovernmental cooperation mechanism in the UN System with the theme of water, representing the forefront of international academic research in the field of hydrology.
