ICHARM participated in the UNESCO C2Cs symposium

Participants gathering at the symposium vevue
Participants gathering at the symposium vevue
Ms. Lidia Brito, the assistant director-general for UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector, delivers a presentation in the Introductory Session.
Ms. Lidia Brito, the assistant director-general for UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector, delivers a presentation in the Introductory Session.

 On May 15-17, 2024, Chief Researcher KURIBAYASHI Daisuke attended the International Symposium of UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector Category 2 Centres (C2Cs) held at the Pullman Kuala Lumpur Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The symposium was convened for the first time in six years, this time co-hosted by UNESCO and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation under the Auspices of UNESCO (ISTIC). There are 129 UNESCO C2Cs worldwide, of which 64 are categorized in the natural sciences sector, including ICHARM and ISTIC. About 70 people participated from 31 C2Cs, the UNESCO headquarters, and local agencies.

 Ms. Lidia Brito, the assistant director-general for UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector, started the conference by expressing gratitude and welcome to the organizers, ISTIC, the Malaysian government, and the participants. The assistant director-general also stated in her speech that people around the world commonly face numerous global challenges and that addressing them would require scientific knowledge, especially interdisciplinary knowledge, and various networks of individuals and organizations. She emphasized that one of the meeting’s important purposes was for different C2Cs in different fields to come together and find concerted ways to tackle global challenges. She also hoped the participants would find ways for C2Cs to work together more closely through the symposium.

 The symposium consisted of a plenary meeting, a C2C presentation session, and a group discussion joined by the participants.

 The plenary meeting was divided into four sessions, “Introductory Session,” “C2C Procedures and Administrative Issues,” “Cross-cutting Session: Open Science,” and “Cross-cutting Session: International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.” In each session, UNESCO staff delivered presentations on various activities. In the “Introductory Session,” Ms. Brito spoke about the priority areas and programs in the UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector. The following are the main takeaways from her speech:

  • UNESCO Natural Sciences Sector’s contribution to SDGs.
  • Challenges related to the Natural Sciences Sector: Mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change, natural and environmental disasters, loss of biodiversity and collapse of ecosystems, water crisis, unequal distribution of natural resources, open science and data sharing, credibility of science in science-policy-society relations.
  • UNESCO’s priorities: Priority groups: SIDS (small island developing states) and youth, Global priorities: Africa and gender.
  • Organization of the Natural Sciences Sector: Division of Ecological and Earth Science, Division of Water Science, Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, Small Island Developing States Unit, and Disaster Risk Reduction Unit
  • Five priorities of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme 9th Phase (IHP-IX)
    * ICHARM is the lead organization for Output 1.6 “Scientific knowledge, methodologies and tools in addressing water-related disasters, such as flood and drought elaborated and/or enhanced towards timely forecasting” of Priority 1 “Scientific research and innovation.” ICHARM Executive Director KOIKE Toshio chairs the group focusing on “Hydrological systems, rivers, climate risk and water-food-energy nexus,” one of the cross-sectional themes.
  • UNESCO Water Family: 170 IHP National Committees, 84 Water-related Chairs & UNITWIN Networks, 16 flagship programs (including the International Flood Initiative, whose secretariat is ICHARM), and 29 water-related C2Cs.
  • Geoscience and geoparks: 195 geoparks in 48 countries, including 10 in Japan.
  • Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program: 748 biosphere reserves worldwide.
  • Section for Basic Science, Research, Innovation and Engineering: Efforts for one of its priorities, “science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” involve more than 1000 teachers and over 10,000 students gathered with gender consideration.
  • UNESCO’s DDR principles: multi-hazard, multi-disciplinary, and multi-stakeholder participation.
  • International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033): The proposal was adopted at the 2023 United Nations General Assembly. Programs have been underway to raise awareness of the importance of all sciences, encourage policymakers to promote collaboration and the introduction of scientific approaches, bridge the gap between science and technology, etc.

 The C2C presentation session set five themes, and speakers representing C2Cs delivered presentations about their organizations. The themes included: 1. Water Science Research, Education and Capacity Development; 2. Hubs for Sustainability: UNESCO-designated Sites and Networks; 3. Water and Disaster Risk Reduction; 4. Addressing the Planetary Crises: Climate Change and Biodiversity; and 5. Revolutionising Capacity Building in Engineering for SDGs.

Chief Researcher Kuribayashi (first from right) with other discussion group members (from left: representing Korea, UNESCO, Malaysia, Ghana, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom)
Chief Researcher Kuribayashi (first from right)
with other discussion group members (from left: representing Korea, UNESCO, Malaysia, Ghana, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom)

 Chief Researcher Kuribayashi spoke on the second day of the presentation session under the theme “3. Water and Disaster Risk Reduction.” He introduced various ICHARM activities, including research on floods and droughts, doctoral and master’s programs, networking activities such as the International Flood Initiative (IFI) and the Typhoon Committee, and UNESCO projects in Africa. Asked for ideas to bridge the gap between scientists and decision-makers, the chief researcher explained IFI’s recent initiative, the “Platform on Water Resilience and Disasters” project.

 On the afternoon of the third day, the participants were divided into five groups and discussed the advantages of being a C2C and how to strengthen collaboration and networking among C2Cs.

 Kuribayashi participated in the C2C symposium for the first time, and it was a valuable opportunity to learn about the activities of UNESCO’s Natural Science Sector and other C2Cs around the world. It was also beneficial, for he could discuss views and ideas with representatives of other C2Cs, such as:

 Overall, the symposium was an excellent opportunity to learn about other C2Cs; each organization is very active in research, capacity development, and networking. This inspiring experience helped ICHARM renew its commitment to ongoing and upcoming activities.