The 3rd Asia International Water Week (AIWW) Kick-off Meeting was successfully held in Hwaseong, Korea. Liu Weiping, Vice Minister of Water Resources (MWR) of China, Yun Seog-dae, President of AWC and CEO of K-Water, and Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Public Works and Housing of Indonesia attended the opening ceremony and delivered congratulatory speeches.

During the opening ceremony, IWHR and AWC officially signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on organizing the 3rd AIWW. Prof. Wang Jianhua, Vice President of IWHR and Cho Yongdeok, Executive Director of AWC, signed the MoA together as the representatives of both parties. Vice Minister Liu Weiping and AWC President Yun Seog-dae witnessed the MoA signing. 

Under the theme “Enhancing our future water security,” the 3rd AIWW consists of three pillars: Asian to World Statement, Asian Water Issues, and Water Project Business Forum. During the Kick-off Meeting, IWHR introduced the overall progress of the preparations for the 3rd AIWW, organized group discussions on Asian water issues and reported on the drafting of Asian to World Statement.

Wang Jianhua, Vice President of IWHR, gave a closing remark at the end of the day, summarizing the fruitful and effective Kick-off Meeting, and invited the AWC members on site and people across Asia and the whole world to attend the 3rd AIWW to be held in Beijing in September 2024, to jointly contribute to the solutions to Asia and world water challenges.

The Asia International Water Week (AIWW), initiated by the Asia Water Council (AWC) since 2017, punctuates the international calendar in three years as Asia’s most influential gathering of water-related multi-stakeholders. The 2nd AIWW, was held in an online-offline hybrid way in Indonesia in March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 3rd AIWW will be jointly hosted by AWC and the MWR of China and lead-organized by IWHR, and is set to take place from Sept. 24 to 28, 2024, in Beijing.