He proposed to conduct an international expedition to study the glaciers of Tajikistan
In 2023, the volume of fresh water lost due to melting glaciers amounted to a record 600 gigatons, which led to a rise in the level of the World Ocean, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said on May 30, speaking at the opening of the first International High-Level Conference on Glacier Conservation in Dushanbe.
As reported by the press service of the head of state , according to him, the rapid melting of glaciers has become one of the most acute global challenges affecting water resources, climate stability, food security and sustainable development.
The President noted that over the past decades, a third of the world’s mountain glaciers have disappeared, and in Tajikistan, where more than 60% of Central Asia’s glaciers are concentrated, about 1,300 of 14,000 glaciers have already been irretrievably lost.
“Every lost piece of glacier is a step towards increasing threats to the future of humanity,” Rakhmon emphasized.
Among the initiatives proposed by the head of state:
conducting an international expedition to study the glaciers of Tajikistan;
creation of a regional laboratory for cryospheric research;
implementation of the Global Glacier Protection Strategy;
development of scientific exchange, including through satellite data;
support of the International Fund for the Preservation of Glaciers, established by the UN.
Emomali Rahmon recalled that, at the initiative of Tajikistan, 2025 was declared the International Year of Glacier Conservation, and March 21 was declared World Glacier Day.
He expressed hope that the conference in Dushanbe would become the starting point of a new international process to protect the cryosphere.
More than 2,500 delegates from 80 countries are taking part in the conference .
The day before, during pre-conference forums, experts voiced alarming data about the accelerated loss of glaciers, including the threat of losing up to 27% of the region’s water resources.
Particular attention was paid to issues of sustainable agriculture, the role of women and youth, and cross-border scientific cooperation.
https://www.asiaplustj.info/ru/news/tajikistan/society/20250530/v-2023-godu-ledniki-poteryali-600-gigatonn-vodi-emomali-rahmon-nazval-eto-globalnoi-ugrozoi