On November 23, the 6th Extraordinary Session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (UNESCO IHP) Intergovernmental Council was convened at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France. All members of the IHP Bureau attended the session. Professor Yu Zhongbo, Director of the National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention under Hohai University and Chairperson of UNESCO IHP, graced the session and delivered an opening speech. In his speech, Yu Zhongbo pointed out that the ninth phase of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP-IX) is a significant interdisciplinary plan. He also called for enhanced cooperation in water security and sustainable development and collective efforts in implementing IHP-IX and other related actions to achieve a shared vision of building a water secure world in a changing environment. Besides, he emphasized the importance of IHP's endeavors in fostering multi-level and interdisciplinary dialogues and expressed his fervent aspiration to further strengthen cooperation in tackling forthcoming intricate challenges and achieving a shared goal of facilitating universal access to water resources.
The IHP Intergovernmental Council Session is a high-level event of the paramount intergovernmental international organization in the field of hydrology, responsible for planning the IHP, setting project priorities, and supervising project implementation. This extraordinary session mainly discussed the general election of the IHP Bureau and member states elected the members for IHP's presidium, finance committee, communication and outreach committee, as well as resolution drafting committee. Yu Zhongbo was elected as the rapporteur of the IHP Bureau in this election. At the session, he also summarized the major work achievements during his tenure as chairman since 2021.
