The 10th World Water Forum, jointly organized by the World Water Council and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, was held in Bali, Indonesia, from May 20 to 24, with the theme of Water for Shared Prosperity. Heads of states, leaders of international organizations, senior government officials, experts, scholars, entrepreneurs, and economists from around the globe convened at this forum to share their knowledge, experiences, and practices related to water. The 2024 Nanjing Dialogue on Yangtze River Culture—Special Dialogue of the 10th World Water Forum was held during the 10th World Water Forum. Professors Yu Zhongbo and Zhang Bing of our university were invited to attend relevant conferences and deliver keynote speeches.
In his keynote speech at the World Water Forum, Prof. Yu Zhongbo highlighted the increasingly prominent challenges on global water security and sustainability in the context of climate change. To address these issues, he emphasized the need for ongoing enhancement of collaboration between academia, government, and industry, and that the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) should focus on fostering international exchanges concerning global water science, education, and governance, thus advancing the water-related goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Professor Yu ended his speech with an initiative: research water science further and facilitate the growth of young scientists so that we can address global water security challenges jointly.
The 2024 Nanjing Dialogue on Yangtze River Culture—Special Dialogue of the 10th World Water Forum was included in the official agenda of the 10th World Water Forum, with the theme of Creating a Harmonious Water Future: Culture as a Key Force for Sustainable Water Development. Zhang Bing said in his keynote speech that co-management of water resources should focus on the adoption and collaboration of multiple stakeholders. Taking the Yangtze River Basin as an example, China has developed basin management plans, established water rights trading markets, and enforced water quality standards along with corresponding penalties, offering valuable insights into the co-management of water resources. At present, provinces along the Yangtze River and neighboring provinces are exploring a horizontal ecological compensation mechanism, launching and implementing the incentive policy for ecological restoration of the Yangtze River, and signing compensation agreements with neighboring provincial governments upstream and downstream within the basin to enhance effectively the sustainable utilization and protection of water resources.
The World Water Forum is one of the largest gatherings of water-related multi-stakeholders. This forum consisted of three processes, namely Political Process, Thematic Process and Regional Process, for all-around communication and exchange. Six sub-themes were discussed during the event: water security and prosperity; water for humans and nature; disaster risk reduction and management; governance, cooperation and hydro-diplomacy; sustainable water finance; knowledge and innovation. During the event, nearly 200 conferences and meetings took place, alongside the World Water Fair and Water Expo.
