Tajikistan is hosting the International Conference on Glacier Preservation from May 29 to June 1, 2025, in Dushanbe, aiming to highlight the urgent need to halt glacial retreat and elevate the issue on the global climate agenda.
The United Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation to highlight the importance of glaciers.
The Dushanbe International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation is organized by the government of Tajikistan with the support of the United Nations and other partners - the Asian Development Bank, UNESCO, UN Development Programme and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The conference will culminate in the release of the Dushanbe Glaciers Declaration—a landmark document outlining actionable commitments, collaborative initiatives, and strategic recommendations to be presented at the UN Climate Change conference, COP30 in Brazil.
Key topics of discussion will include glacier preservation, water cooperation, the role of cryosphere monitoring in water allocation, sea-level rise, and transboundary collaboration. Other sessions will explore scientific monitoring, the socio-economic impact of glacier melt, and strategies to catalyze action through global frameworks and partnerships.
Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kokhir Rasulzoda said: "This conference represents a significant step in implementing the United Nations resolution declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation. Glaciers, which account for 75% of the world's freshwater resources, are vanishing due to climate change. Urgent and collective global action is essential to confront this crisis."
In Tajikistan alone, more than 1,000 glaciers have completely disappeared over the past few decades. One of the most serious consequences of this melting is the formation and expansion of glacial lakes, which significantly increase the risk of catastrophic flooding. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have already caused loss of life and widespread infrastructure damage in mountain regions such as the Andes, Himalayas, and Alps, highlighting the global urgency of addressing glacier retreat.
“The WMO State of the Global Climate 2024 report revealed that for the third consecutive year, glaciers retreated in all 19 regions. Five of the past six years have witnessed the most rapid glacier retreat on record,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
“The death of a glacier is more than just the loss of ice. We need to strengthen glacier monitoring and protection through models and observations. We need more data sharing and more political will. We need to bridge science and services and forecasts and action,” she said.
The conference participants will endeavor to identify practical steps to advance scientific research and expand access to data while addressing gaps to improve hydro-meteorological and climate services, optimizing cryosphere earth observations as well as establish roadmaps for climate risks and early warning systems specific to mountainous regions.
In addition, the conference will explore concrete measures toward establishing a United Nations Trust Fund to support global glacier preservation efforts by the end of this year.
Establishment of a UN Trust Fund in support of activities for glaciers’ preservation was discussed during the meeting between Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and ADB Vice-President Yingming Yang held in Dushanbe on May 28. The talks reportedly focused on expanding the partnership between Tajikistan and the ADB, with particular attention to new areas of cooperation amid climate change challenges.
“Melting glaciers threaten lives on an unprecedented scale – including the livelihoods of more than 2 billion people in Asia, alone,” said Asian Development Bank Vice-President Yingming Yang. “As a trusted partner, ADB is committed to helping Asia and the Pacific tackle this most complex of challenges: with adaptation investments and an enduring commitment to continue helping our region swap fossil fuels for clean energy in a way that does not compromise energy access or economic development.”
Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yermek Kosherbayev met with his Chinese counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing where the duo held al...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered strikes on Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire deal by firing on Israeli troops...
Inter Milan goalkeeper Josep Martínez was involved in a fatal road accident early Tuesday in Italy’s Como province after his vehicle struck a man i...
Three major companies announced on Tuesday that at least $80 billion worth of nuclear reactors will be built across the United States in partnership w...
The U.S. Department of War has said that it carried out three strikes in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 alleged narco-terrorists aboard four vessels,...
Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, had a one-on-one meeting with Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, on 10 October in Dushanbe.
The second 'Central Asia – Russia' summit has concluded in Dushanbe, held under the chairmanship of the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon. This meeting continued the efforts to build a sustainable platform for cooperation between the countries of the region and the Russian Federation.
At the invitation of President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Dushanbe on 9 October to participate in the meeting of the CIS Heads of State Council.
Dushanbe enters one of its busiest diplomatic weeks in recent times as it gears up to host the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) heads of state and a Central Asia – Russia meeting. Both events are set to hold from 8 - 12 October in Tajikistan.
A small, silent object from another star is cutting through the Solar System. It’s real, not a film, and one scientist thinks it might be sending a message.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Hurricane Melissa though yet to make landfall in Jamaica underwent extreme rapid intensification on Monday, strengthening from a category 4 to a category 5 with winds of up to 175mph.
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Bill Gates called on world leaders on Tuesday to adapt to extreme weather and focus on improving health outcomes rather than temperature reduction targets ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil.
Three people have died in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa, possibly the island’s strongest storm ever, approaches with “catastrophic” conditions, warn U.S. meteorologists.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Sındırgı district in western Türkiye’s Balıkesir province late on Monday, according to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
As Hurricane Melissa barrels towards Jamaica as a powerful Category 4 storm, questions often arise about how these tempests get their names.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment