The 10th CTWF International Training Workshop on ‘Regional Climate Change and its Impact Assessment’ was jointly held on September 26-29, 2011, in Beijing Friendship Hotel, Beijing, China, by the CAS-TWAS-WMO Forum on Climate Science (CTWF) and Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS). The workshop was also co-sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Government of China; Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA), China; Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), China; and International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences (ICCES), China.
The main objective of the workshop was to enhance the scientific capacity of young researchers working in the field of climate sciences in the developing countries as well as to establish and strengthen linkages among the developing countries, in general, and participating institutions, in particular, for sharing knowledge and experiences related to the impact assessment of regional climate changes and related management and adaptation methodologies.
The workshop was attended by a total of 63 local and foreign participants from 14 developing countries, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Pakistan, Malaysia, Nepal, Mongolia, Uganda, Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Jordan and China. A total of 27 foreign experts/scientists participated in the event.
Prof. Jiang Zhu (also a member of COMSATS’ Technical Advisory Committee) chaired the Opening Ceremony of the event. During his remarks, Prof. Zhu highlighted the importance of the workshop’s theme and welcomed the distinguished guests and participants. Messages from the President Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Executive Director TWAS, and Executive Director COMSATS were also read out on the occasion by Mr. Jinghua Cao, Ms. Shuqin Fu and Mr. Tajammul Hussain, respectively. Also attending the Opening Ceremony, the Executive Directors of CTWF, Prof. Huijun Wang and Prof. Qingcun Zeng, appreciated the efforts made by the collaborating organizations holding the workshop and hoped that the event would generate a better understanding on climate change and relevant adaptation and mitigation measures.
The workshop comprised of 4 technical sessions. Each technical session was preceded by an invited lecture of a local expert on the selected theme of the session, and was followed by presentations of local/foreign participants. There were a total of 29 invited lectures/presentations that were delivered by local and foreign participants of the workshop. Each invited lecture/presentation was also followed by a brief question & answer session. Each technical session was chaired by its respective invited lecturer, whereas recorded by two appointed rapporteurs from amongst the participants of the workshop.
The international training workshop successfully achieved its afore-mentioned objectives and strengthened linkages among the participating academicians, researchers and scientists working in the field of Climate Sciences. Local and foreign participants actively participated in the event, and shared information and knowledge related to the Regional Climate Change and its Impact Assessment. The presentations made, discussions held, and the linkages established, during the four-day workshop, will prove to be beneficial for developing South-South cooperation for achieving sustainable socio-economic development in the developing countries.
