DUSHANBE, 26.09.2019 (NIAT Khovar) – Yesterday in New York on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, a high level event titled “Transformative Water Actions to Accelerate Global Achievement of Climate Change related Goals” was held at the initiative of Tajikistan in collaboration with Fiji, Canada, Morocco, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs and UN WATER.

Representatives and experts from member-states and international organizations attended the meeting.

The first part of the event was chaired by the Tajik Minister of Foreign Affairs Sirojidin Muhriddin. The Prime Minister of Tajikistan Qohir Rasulzoda, Prime Minister of Fiji Josaia Bainimarama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Augusto Santos Silva, Director Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Manuel Sager, UN Deputy Secretary-General on Economic and Social Affairs Liu Zhenmin and other officials made statements during the event.

In his speech, Rasulzoda briefed the participants about Tajikistan’s achievements in the field of water management and climate change, on the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028,» the preparation to the second high-level international conference on the implementation of the Decade of Action, which will be held in 2020 in Dushanbe.

Rasulzoda called upon the representatives of the UN member-states to actively participate in the upcoming Dushanbe conference.

During the event, the Special Envoy of Netherlands for International Water Affairs Henk Ovink, Executive Director of Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) Torgny Holmgren , UNESCO’s high representative, foreign ministers of Hungary and Kyrgyzstan, Environment Minister of Kazakhstan, Deputy Minister of Finland and other senior officials also delievered their statements.

Participant had the opportunity to discuss the risks posed by climate change and focused on transformative water actions to accelerate global climate change-related goals and targets.

Most participants commended Tajikistan’s contribution to the implementation of the Water Decade and called for intensifying integrated efforts to address water and climate change.