3 March 2005: Speech by Ambassador Teiichi Sato on the occasion of the signing ceremony for the establishment of ICHARM
"Mr Director-General,
Mr Chief Executive of PWRI,
Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my great pleasure and honour to have signed, on behalf of the Government of Japan, the agreement on the establishment of ICHARM. I am particularly pleased that Japan could now join forces with UNESCO in order to help the international community to properly prepare for and react to water-related disasters. I believe that the creation of such a centre is both timely and important as it will contribute to better tackle crucial water-related issues.
This agreement, which formally establishes ICHARM, is the final step of a preparation process initiated in 2003 on the occasion of the Third World Water Forum. At that time, UNESCO and Japan agreed to the shared goal of making tangible contributions to mitigate the impact of devastating water hazards in the world.
After a two-year preparation process aimed at crystallizing this project, the UNESCO General Conference, at its 33 rd session, adopted a resolution approving the establishment of ICHARM and inviting the Director-General to sign the corresponding agreement.
I dare not repeat the importance of this institution, but I would like to assure that the objectives and aims of the Centre, which are to promote Research, Training and Information Networking activities, are fully in line with UNESCO’s objectives and Programmes and will contribute to attain the goals of UNESCO’s fresh-water programme.
I wish to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude for every effort made to come to this establishment, firstly to the staff concerned at the Secretariat, and of course to the members of IHP, Executive Board and General Conference.
I believe the Japanese Government and PWRI are now completely prepared to start the activities of the Centre, and I really look forward to seeing its active practices respond to the expectations existing throughout the world.
Thank you. "
Links
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3 March 2006: Signing Ceremony for the Establishment of ICHARM
Public Works Research Institute (PWRI)
IHP Website - page on this event
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