Under the sponsorship of UNESCO Office Beijing, an international training course on river sedimentation and flood control was held from 21 to 29 September 2003. The training course, which was organized by International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) of China, introduced the application of mathematical models for river sedimentation, flood forecasting and control, as well as rational utilization of water resources.

The nine-day training programme was composed of six-day lectures (including a seminar for participants to deliver their own presentations and exchange their experiences), one-day physical model study in laboratory, and a one-day field study tour to the demonstration sites of soil and water conservation in Miyun and Huairou Counties of Beijing Municipality. As a bonus event, Dr.Walling, a famous English professor in the field of soil yield and erosion, was also invited to present a seminar.

The lectures covered important topics, including basic theory in sediment transportation mechanics and fluvial processes; mathematical models in river sedimentation; mathematical models in flood forecasting and control and mathematical models in rational utilization of water resources. The eight lecturers invited were experienced professors from Tsinghua University, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR), IRTCES, and the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources. Among the eleven trainees, two came from Mongolia (one each from the Mongolian National Committee for IHP and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences), three from State Hydrometeorological Administration of D.P.R. Korea, five from Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, China, and one from Estuary & Coast Science Research Center in Shanghai, China.

The evaluation conducted by all the participants at the conclusion of the training course indicated that they were very positive about the quality of the trainees, the relevance of course content and the standard of the lectures.