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The International Sediment Initiative (ISI) Conference was successfully held at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum, Sudan on November 12-15, 2006. The ISIC is organized by the UNESCO Chair in Water Resources of Sudan (UNESCO-CWR) in collaboration with UNESCO-IHP, UNESCO Cairo Office, Ministry of Finance of Sudan, NTEAP-NBI, Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources of Sudan, ENTRO and other collaborators. More than 300 experts and academicians from different parts of the world attended the conference which aimed at ensuring sustainable sediment management, in the context of sustainable water resources development at global scale.

Marshal Omer Al Bashir, President of Sudan, attended the opening session and inaugurated the ISIC with the presence of a number of guests, ministers, diplomats, researchers and the concerned bodies in the field of water. In his speech, President Al Bashir referred the significance of sediment researches and studies related to the agricultural development and reservoirs and the necessity for finding technical, engineering and scientific treatments for this phenomenon. He said, “Your selection of our country for holding this important conference, gives us a great pleasure and privileges. And from here we direct all concerned and related sectors in our country to implement all your proposals and recommendations.” Dr. Andras Szollosi-Nagy, Secretary General of the UNESCO-IHP, Dr. Musa Gafar bin Hassan, President of the UNESCO General Conference, Eng. Kamal Ali Mohammed, Minister of Irrigation & Water Resources, Prof. Abdalla A. Ahmed, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Director of the UNESCO-CWR, Prof. Mohmed Osman Salih, Vice Chancellor of Omdurman Islamic University, addressed in the opening session.

In the three day’s conference sessions, more than 50 lectures and 8 posters were presented and discussed. The topics including:
 Sediment Sources and Causes
 Sediment Transport, Deposition and Scour
 Sediment Data Collection Techniques
 Sediment Analysis and Modeling
 Sediment Impact on the Environment and Socio-economic conditions
 Sediment Management and Mitigation
 Applications to Major River Basins.

ISI Steering Committee members attended the conference and presented their lectures, which includes:
1. Applications to Major River Basins and Man-Made Reservoirs, Local Actions, Regional Cooperation, Global Support
   S. Bruk
2. The Changing Sediment Loads of the World’s Rivers
   Des E. Walling
3. Sediment Sources and Causes: Approaches to Sediment Yield Evaluation
   G. Di Silvio
4. Extending Sedimentation Education to the Developing World Through Instructional Simulations
   Rollin H. Hotchkiss, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Jason K. McDonald, M.S., Bradford G. Singley, B.S., E.I.T.
5. Nile River Sediment Characteristics from Watershed to the Sea
   Mohammed El Motasem
6. Application of Multi-Methodological Approach for Evaluation of Sediment Redistribution within the River Catchment
   V.N. Golosov
7. Real Time Sediment Monitoring at Run of the river Hydropower Plants
   Pravin Karki
8. Flood Management &Sediment transport in Mountainous Basins
   Manfred Spreafico
9. Vegetation –erosion Dynamics & Application in China
   Wang Zhaoyin , Wang Guangqian
10. Roadmap Towards an advice on the Implementation of Sediment Management in The Danube WFD River Basin Management Plan
    Jos M. Brils
11. Reservoir Sedimentation Implication & planning
    Farhad Yazdandoost
12. Changes in the water & sediment loads of Rivers in China
    Liu Cheng and Wang Zhao-Yin
13. Sediment Data, GEMS tat and Open Web Services
    Sabrina Barker

Prof. Rollin H. Hotchkiss was unable to travel to Sudan, he made his presentation by DVD and intercommunicated with the audiences through telephone.

In the afternoon of November 14, 2006, the conference wrapped up its sessions and issued “Khartoum Declaration”. It says that the forum added a new dimension to the ongoing efforts of ISI and facilitated exchange of experiences in research and best practices. It also aimed at ensuring sustainable sediment management, in the context of sustainable water resources development at global scale. The ISIC call upon national governments, regional and international organizations to allocate adequate funding and give institutional support for sedimentation research, development and management, emphasizing on the socio-economic impacts of sedimentation and value sediment as a resource, cooperation among riparian countries on transboundary rivers for integrated river basin management including sediment issues for the mutual benefits of all stakeholders in a basin.

The participants made a study tour to Gezira Irrigated Scheme sedimentation sites on November 15, 2006.

During the conference, Prof. Zhao-Yin Wang and Dr. Cheng Liu were invited to have a meeting with Dr. Andras Szollosi-Nagy. Dr. C. Liu reported the activities of IRTCES acting as ISI Technical Secretariat and presented the ISI Information System. Dr. Szollosi-Nagy expressed his praises on what IRTCES has done.

A meeting among the council members of the World Association on Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER) was also held during the meeting. The issues of reorganization for the upcoming new term council, future working plan and the 10th International Symposium on River Sedimentation were discussed (by Cheng LIU).