AY 2021 Rearing Program for Basin Water Environmental Leaders (BWEL) Certificate Award Ceremony was held at Nagaragawa Convention Center (Gifu City) on Friday, March 25, 2022.

The ceremony was attended by President Hisataka Moriwaki, Vice President Hirokazu Fukui (Planning, Academic Affairs, Evaluation and Fund, Chair of BWEL General Committee), and the following program members:

- Vice President Wang Zhigang (Academic Research, Industry-Academia Collaboration and Information)

- Professor Fusheng Li, Director of the BWEL Promotion Office and Director of the River Basin Research Center, and

- the members of the Promotion Office

One doctoral degree student (from Mongolia), eight master's degree students (five from Japan, one from Indonesia, one from China, and one from Bangladesh) received their certificates from the President with his warmhearted words of encouragement in English.

On behalf of graduating students, Mr. Adhia Azhar Fauzan (from Indonesia, enrolled in the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology) and Mr. Shota Sugioka (from Japan, also enrolled in the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology) expressed their hopes for the future in English.

A total of 10 students have completed the program in AY 2021 (of them, nine were awarded the certificates on March 25, one doctoral degree student from Vietnam received in September 2021).

Gifu University Rearing Program for Basin Water Environmental Leaders aims to produce environmental leaders who can properly assess and evaluate issues related to the water environment from multiple perspectives. Such environmental leaders are expected to address problems of water quality, water resource and ecosystems that Asia and African nations are facing today. They will plan and implement strategic solutions to these issues and prevent potential risks to the environment.

A total of 239 students have completed the program since its start in 2009, and many of them have already been playing an active role as environmental leaders in many parts of Asia.