DUSHANBE, 12.11.2024 /NIAT “Khovar”/. On November 12, in Baku, Azerbaijan, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, took part and spoke at a high-level event, organized and hosted by Tajikistan, on the implementation of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2025 as the «International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation».

President Emomali Rahmon considered the holding of this event an important step in the process of implementing the UN resolution and emphasized that its main goal is to prevent the further melting of glaciers and preserve their ecological systems.

It was mentioned that under the influence of climate change, glaciers, which generally account for 75 percent of the main fresh water resources, are rapidly shrinking. Therefore, to solve this important global issue, it was considered necessary to take immediate and joint actions of the international community.

The Head of State stated that considering the importance of this issue, the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on declaring 2025 as the «International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation» was adopted with the initiative of Tajikistan and the support of the international community. On the basis of this resolution, the International Trust Fund for the Preservation of Glaciers was established under the auspices of the United Nations.

It was said that our country will hold the first International Conference on the Preservation of Glaciers in May 2025 in the city of Dushanbe, based on this UNGA resolution.

The President of the country stated that in addition to declaring the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, the General Assembly of the United Nations, on the initiative of Tajikistan and France, adopted another resolution in August of this year declaring the years 2025-2034 as the «Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences».

This important decision was made in order to continue effective actions in the issue of protecting glaciers and raising the awareness of the international community about this important topic.

It was proposed to expand multilateral cooperation and exchange of experience and knowledge between countries with glacier resources and coastal countries in order to take immediate practical measures for the preservation of glaciers.

According to the Head of State, Emomali Rahmon, this issue can play an effective role in the process of addressing water shortage and sea level rise. At the same time, the attraction of global financial resources for this purpose, including the Special Fund for preservation of glaciers, was considered important.

It was deemed necessary for the Green Climate Fund to prioritize support for vulnerable countries, especially the Landlocked Developing Countries Group, which are most affected by climate change.

Moreover, President of Tajikistan proposed to establish a Regional Coordination Center for Glaciology in Dushanbe, under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization and in cooperation with other development partners, in order to accurately study the impact of climate change on the region’s glaciers.

It was mentioned that Tajikistan, despite having abundant fresh water resources, including glaciers, lakes and rivers, constantly pays special attention to water-related problems.

«Our country has determined the topics related to water resources, their rational and effective use, as well as the protection of glaciers, among the priorities of its state policy,» — said Honorable Head of State Emomali Rahmon.

Concluding his speech, the Head of State expressed the hope that the results of today’s meeting will contribute to enriching the content of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference and will further draw the special attention of the international community to the concerns of all countries over the issues related to the melting of glaciers, water shortages and the risk of natural disasters.

The Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Honorable Shehbaz Sharif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, the Vice President of the World Bank for Europe and Central Asia, Antanella Bassani, the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Celeste Saulo, UNESCO Assistant Director-General Lidia Brito and experts from other respected international and regional organizations participated and spoke at this important event organized by Tajikistan. The participants expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Head of Tajik State Honorable Emomali Rahmon and officials of Tajikistan for organizing and hosting this important event, as well as for effective global efforts to preserve glaciers and freshwater resources.