BEIJING, CHINA - May 19, 2016. IWR and ICIWaRM Director Bob Pietrowsky represented USACE and the USG at the inaugural global meeting of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) Category I and II Water and Science Centers, held in Beijing, China, 15-18 May 2016.
The event marked the first time UNESCO’s Category I & II Water and Science Centers came together to coordinate their programs and work together towards increasing their collaboration in support of UNESCO’s efforts to address the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals focusing on the dual objectives of Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development. Category II Centers, which function under the auspices of UNESCO but are not legally part of the Organization, are entirely staffed and funded by each host nation. They are playing an increasingly important role in carrying our UNESCO’s programs, particularly in science and water resources, currently with 65 Category II Centers, of which over half are focused on freshwater as part of UNESCO’s “Water Family” in support of the International Hydrological Program (IHP).