Cai Qihua, Chair of the 4th Regional Steering Committee, presided over the sessions. Chen Min, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), attended and delivered a speech. Zhong Zhiyu, Chief Engineer of the MWR, was elected Chair of the 5th Regional Steering Committee.
Peng Jing, President of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), was present on behalf of the host organization’s leadership. Jiang Yunzhong, Secretary-General of the 4th Regional Steering Committee and Vice President of IWHR, presented a five-year work report. He noted that the Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) has released its 2026-2030 Five-Year Development Strategy, and GWP China Secretariat has completed the Chinese translation of the strategy’s executive summary. This strategy will serve as the blueprint and priority framework for GWPO in the coming period and merits close attention from relevant stakeholders. Zhao Yong, the Director of the Department of Water Resources at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) was appointed Secretary-General of the 5th Regional Steering Committee.
GWP Strategy 2026-2030
Chen Min pointed out that since its establishment, GWP China has been deeply engaged in strategic research on water resources under the leadership of Chair Cai Qihua. Many of its think tank outputs have been adopted by the state and supported decision-making on major projects. The regional partnership has built diverse exchange platforms, carried out extensive science popularization and public welfare activities, promoted the widespread dissemination of water governance concepts, and effectively enhanced China’s international discourse power in water resources management. He emphasized that GWP China should closely align with the goals of high-quality water resources development, focus on key tasks of water security assurance, leverage its strengths as a cross-sector think tank, better serve the advancement of high-quality water resources development and national water security safeguarding, and demonstrate new responsibilities, achieve new progress, and make new contributions in the new era.
After being elected Chair, Zhong Zhiyu stated that the new Steering Committee will fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all subsequent plenary sessions. In line with the decisions and arrangements of the Central Government on the reform and development of social organizations as well as the work requirements of the MWR, the Regional Steering Committee will uphold its original aspiration of serving water resources management through academic efforts, effectively exert GWP’s platform role, continuously enhance its capacity, performance and influence, elevate its work to a new level, and make significant contributions to pooling scientific and technological strength, advancing academic progress, and supporting water resources practices.
Attendees included representatives from member institutions, branch offices, invited guests, candidates for council members and supervisors, as well as leaders from GWP China’s host institute — the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research.