In 2015, the World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world will take place in Daegu, Republic of of Korea. This large-scale international conference, held every three years since 1997, brings together academia, the public sector, NGO’s and industries to facilitate international exchanges on global water challenges. The 7th World Water Forum welcomed stakeholders from about 170 nations in Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

As a novelty, the Forum had a “Science and Technology Process” newly included in its programme, notably in order to strengthen the implementation of solutions drawn from previous editions of the Forum. In this context, IRDR SC member Kuniyoshi Takeuchi spoke at a session “Building resilience to water-related disasters in the Asia-Pacific region” that was coordinated by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Takeuchi also attended the follow-up meeting to the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board High Level Experts and Leaders Panel and Water and Disaster meeting on 9-10 April in Seoul.

At the award ceremony for the 2012 International Hydrology Prize, jointly sponsored by UNESCO, WMO and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, IAHS President Gordon Young presented him as “an exceptional scientist, charismatic teacher and influential leader based on his outstanding contributions to hydrological research, particularly in the field of water resources management, his role in educating young researchers through establishing both national and international academic programmes, his international leadership in the field of water sciences, especially related to UNESCO IHP and his extraordinary contributions to hydrological sciences as President of IAHS, especially for launching the international decade of Prediction in Ungauged Basins (PUB).”

For more information, see http://eng.worldwaterforum7.org/main/