Invitation to the ICOLD 2012 Kyoto
from the Chairman of Organizing Committee

Dr. Hiroshi YOSHIKOSHI
Chairman of Organizing Committee for ICOLD 2012 Kyoto

I am honored to invite all ICOLD delegates and dam experts to attend and participate in the 24th Congress and 80th Annual Meeting to be held in Kyoto, Japan in June 2012.

Having joined ICOLD way back in 1931, Japan is one of its oldest member countries. Japan since contributed to ICOLD activities by organizing two ICOLD Annual Meetings in Tokyo in the year 1960 and 1984. This time, we will have the privilege to host the ICOLD Congress in 2012 in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan of more than 1,000 years ago which remains to be the center of old traditional culture and has been designated as the World Heritage by UNECO. Kyoto is located in western Japan and has approximately 1.5 million inhabitants. With such a background, the city of Kyoto has served as Mecca for all sorts of conventions and meetings, domestic or international, including such well-known ones as the 3rd World Water Forum, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP3 or the like.　

Ever since the 7th Century and to date, Japan has built and operated as many as 3,000-or-so dams for irrigation, municipal water, hydro power and flood control purposes. You will have opportunities to visit old and modern dams and hydro power projects in Far East Asian countries, which may in parallel combine the taste of cultural and natural tourist attractions.　

The global climate change is the pressing issue to be addressed worldwide and its impacts on fresh water resources and floods should be analyzed scientifically. Dams are expected to play an important role to adapt and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. With the confidence that dam engineering is indispensable to world sustainability at present and for future, the Organizing Committee is preparing for the ICOLD 2012 with utmost efforts to make it rewarding through discussions of the latest technology and experiences of dam engineering. 　

It will be the great pleasure and privilege for me and JCOLD associates to welcome you in June 2012 in Kyoto and we would make our best effort to make your stay in Kyoto satisfactory as well as enjoyable.