Establishment of the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) in Tsukuba, Japan 09-03-2006 - Following the decision of the General Conference to create the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM ) in Tsukuba, Japan, under the auspices of UNESCO, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO Director-General, Mr. Teiichi Sato, Japanese Ambassador to UNESCO, and Mr. Tadahiko Sakamoto, Chief Executive of the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI ) signed, on 3 March 2006 at UNESCO Headquarters, agreements establishing the Centre, to govern its functioning and to establish the framework of cooperation between UNESCO, the Japanese government and PWRI.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Mr Matsuura held bilateral talks with Mr Sakamoto, during which he expressed his gratitude to the Japanese government and PWRI for their continued support for the establishment of the Centre. He expressed the hope that ICHARM would develop links and work closely with the network of 11 already existing UNESCO water-related centers that includes the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft, (Netherlands), and that it would be a real international hub of activity in the area of water sciences.

In his address at the signing ceremony, Mr. Matsuura remarked that with the establishment of this Centre, which will develop risk management measures against water-related disasters, “Japan is expected to contribute to solving these challenges from a global point of view based on its accumulated knowledge and experience in overcoming water-related disasters. The establishment of ICHARM is a very significant and timely contribution from Japan”. “ICHARM” he said, “will contribute significantly to UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and act as a global facility contributing to the International Flood Initiative (IFI), a joint programme of the Organization with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations University (UNU), the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) and the International Association for Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). In addition, ICHARM will contribute to the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) as one of the leading actors addressing the risk management chapter of the World Water Development Report (WWDR)”.

Mr. Sato, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO, hailed the signing of this agreement as a significant contribution to mitigating the impact of devastating water hazards in the world. He emphasized that the objectives and aims of the Centre are fully in line with UNESCO’s objectives and programmes and will contribute to attaining the goals of UNESCO’s action in freshwater.

Mr. Sakamoto, PWRI Chief Executive, stated that the Centre would widen the Institute’s scope of activities to include making contributions to prevent or mitigate water-related disasters in the world and to achieve sustainable and integrated river basin management. He also announced the official launching of the Centre on 6 March 2006 in Tsukuba, Japan, under the leadership of the founding director of ICHARM, Professor Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, former chairperson of IHP Intergovernmental Council.

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Source	Flash Info n°032-2006