Ms. Irina Bokova, the retiring UNESCO Director-General, sent a letter to Prof. Shangfu Kuang, the Director of IRTCES, expressing her gratitude for IRTCES’ support to UNESCO, as well as the ISI. In her letter, Ms. Bokova said, ‘I would like to thank you for your unerring support to UNESCO and, particularly, to the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), manifest in the hosting of Secretariat of the International Sediment Initiative (ISI), which helped to drive forward the values, and objectives we share.’ She emphasized the vital importance of UNESCO’s role in the face of the world’s current challenges, and stated, ‘Today, in times of conflict and as so many countries unite against violent extremism and sectarian hatred, peace must be constructed through education, intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and a better knowledge of history and religions. Moreover, faced with the impact of climate change and the sustainable development imperative, we need to invest more in quality education, scientific research and other forms of knowledge that have the power to open the doors to innovation and progress. UNESCO, the ‘soft power’ agency of the United Nations, is leading on all of these fronts, and I know that the initiatives we took forward together have helped translate this message into actions. We must persist with these efforts.’