Main venue of the contest

Welcome speech by DAI Jiqun, NHRI President

Speech by Sun Xiaolin, Counsellor, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, P. R. China

Speech by LI Ge, DG-Level Counsel, Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology, MWR, P. R. China

Speech by Nuki Agya Utama, Executive DG of ASEAN Center for Energy

Speech by Phouthanouthong Xaysombath, Deputy DG, Department of Energy Industry Safety Management, MEM, Lao PDR

Comments by Hao Zhao, Secretary-General of LM Water Center and Head of Judging Pane

Group Photo at the Contest Venue

On August 9-10, 2023, the Contest of Dam Safety Science Popularization for BRI (LMC) Countries was held in Nanjing online and offline. Forty contestants from 16 countries including Ethiopia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Rwanda, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Zambia and China participated in the contest.

The contest was guided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, P. R. China, the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), P. R. China, and the ASEAN Center for Energy, and co-organized by Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI), Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center, and Dam Safety Management Center, MWR, P. R. China. Leaders from respective relevant institutions delivered speeches at the opening ceremony of the contest. The judge panel of the contest was composed of 13 foreign and domestic judges, including Hao Zhao, Secretary-General of LM Water Center, LIU Heng, Senior Officer of UN Industrial Development Organization, Monika Merdekawati, Research Analyst of ASEAN Center for Energy, Fany Wedahuditama, Regional Coordinator of GWP Southeast Asia, Phouthanouthong Xaysombath, Deputy DG of Department of Energy Industry Safety Management, MEM, Lao PDR, GAO Changsheng, Deputy DG of Dam Safety Management Center, MWR, China, and experts and professors from Global Engagement Program, Frankfurt University, Zhejiang University, Hohai University, Nanjing University of Information, Science and Technology, and PowerChina Kunming Engineering Corporation Limited.

At the opening ceremony of the contest, President DAI expressed that NHRI had achieved a series of fruitful results in the fields of reservoir dam construction and safety management, giving full play to its technical advantages, taking the lead in undertaking a series of Asian Cooperation Fund projects, carrying out comprehensive, in-depth and fruitful cooperation with relevant countries in the field of dam safety, actively participating in the popularization of dam safety knowledge, and successfully organizing the First China – ASEAN Dam Safety Science Popularization Contest in 2021, which had strengthened the public’s scientific knowledge of reservoir dams and promoted the sharing of scientific and technological achievements.

SUN Xiaolin said in her speech that this year marked the 7^th year of development of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and the areas of cooperation had continued to broaden and the number of participants increased with the joint efforts of all member countries, adding new connotations to sub-regional cooperation.

LI Ge said that Ministry of Water Resources of China had signed cooperation agreements with 40 Belt and Road countries, and carried out a series of practical cooperation projects in the fields of drinking water safety, dam safety and other areas with Belt and Road countries, as well as the exchange and training of water resources talents in recent years, jointly writing a new chapter of win-win cooperation.

During the contest, 40 contestants introduced the dam safety policies, laws and regulations of various countries, the impacts of dams on social and economic development, the planning, design, construction, and management, supervision and inspection of dams, dam safety and water management, dam safety and international cooperation, etc., with combination of reservoir dam cases. After evaluation by the judge panel, 4 contestants from China, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia won the first prize, 10 contestants from Thailand, Bangladesh and other countries the second prize, and 12 contestants from South Africa, Rwanda and other countries the third prize.

After the contest, three invited reports are made by Dr. Fu Zhongzhi, Professor-Level Senior Engineer of NHRI with the title of Sustainable Hydropower Development and Energy Security - Practice and Challenge in China, Dr. Amgad Elmahdi, Head for Water Sector of Green Climate Fund (GCF) with the title of Role of GCF in Water-Climate Finance: Developing the Transformational Water Asset Program, and Ms. Amina Kadyrzhanova, Sustainability Specialist of International Hydropower Association with the title of Hydropower Sustainability Standard: Certifying sustainability in hydropower, respectively.

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Contest is aimed at implementing President Xi Jinping's concept of “Building Relations with Neighboring Countries Based on Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit and Inclusiveness” to make the interdependent ASEAN a priority for neighboring diplomacy and a key region for high-quality joint construction of the BRI, so as to publicize and popularize the knowledge of water conservancy, in particular the scientific knowledge of dams, disseminate the scientific ideas, advocate the scientific methods, promote the sharing of scientific and technological achievements in dam safety management, provide a broad platform for the exchange of experience among the practitioners in the field of water conservancy and dams, and make a positive contribution to the improvement of the well-being of the people of China and the BRI countries.