Dear ICOLD Members, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the International Commission of Large Dams/ Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages (ICOLD/CIGB), it is an honor for me to invite our 104 National Committees to send delegates and their accompanying persons to the 91^st Annual Meeting of ICOLD. The meeting will be held in from the 12^th to 15^th June 2023 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Gothenburg is a friendly city located on the west coast of Sweden. She is called the second Swedish capital and known for its culture and long history of international trade and influences. As the second-largest city in Sweden, Gothenburg boasts a vibrant cultural scene, world-class restaurants, sustainable living, and a fascinating history – all within walking distance from our ICOLD hotels and conference center. In June we should enjoy very pleasant weather conditions.

This 91^st Annual Meeting of ICOLD will be hosted by the National Committee of Sweden, SwedCOLD, who have been preparing for several years now. Several excellent Study Tours will be offered before and after the meeting along with our usual ICOLD exclusive Cultural Evening and Technical Excursion. SwedCOLD is also hosting a special symposium as part of ICOLD 2023 themed Management for Safe Dams. The purpose of this symposium is to share information from case studies, technologies, and innovations to increase the safety of dams and levees along with their associated benefits, perfectly fitting with the essential commitment of ICOLD to Dam Safety.

I am convinced that the ICOLD 2023 Organizing Committee, led by Maria Bartsch, President of SwedCOLD and former Vice-President of ICOLD, and Anders Isander, Chairman of the Organizing Committee will arrange a wonderful event and a friendly and inclusive reunion of the ICOLD family.

The year 2022 saw dramatic droughts across the northern hemisphere, devastating floods in South Africa and Pakistan, and a global energy crisis compounded by the war in Ukraine. In our changing world, ICOLD must be a key player in offering solutions to climate change adaptation and energy transition. We, dam and reservoir professionals, must pledge to play our full part in the process. Our annual meetings and congresses are milestones in our efforts to achieve these goals.

So, I warmly encourage our ICOLD family and friends to gather for ICOLD 2023 in Gothenburg as we continue the work to meet our mission in setting standards and guidelines to ensure that dams and levees are built and operated safely, efficiently, economically, and are environmentally sustainable and socially equitable. I invite representatives from all 104 ICOLD National Committees to participate in this meeting as we endeavour to meet the challenges of the 21st century in the development and management of the world’s water and hydropower resources and to be part of the solution to the crisis that the planet is going through.

I will be glad to welcome you in Gothenburg in June 2023 in person and in good health.

Yours faithfully,