Introduction
IRTCES was founded in 1984, under the joint sponsorship of UNESCO and the Chinese Government, to promote research and training in solving scientific and engineering problems related to the erosion and deposition of sediment. Since then, it has organized many international training courses and workshops in fields pertaining to sediment research in the Asian-Pacific region. Its research activities are outlined and appended to this proposal. Its headquarters in Beijing comprises offices and conference rooms with modern communication and video-audio facilities and could serve as the base for the Secretariat of the proposed organization.