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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently confirmed that 2024 has become the warmest year on record, and it has repeatedly expressed concerns about the state of our climate, which is significantly affected by glacier melt. According to projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), glaciers will continue to shrink throughout the 21st century in nearly all regions of the world. The United Nations considers glacier preservation one of the most urgent tasks for humanity, as these ancient ice formations are custodians of the planet's climatic history and provide fresh water to more than 2 billion people worldwide.

Glaciers are referred to as frozen time capsules of Earth's past, serving as an invaluable source of data for scientists about historical climate processes, the composition of the atmosphere, and even human activity over millennia. Their disappearance also leads to the loss of unique ecosystems and biodiversity that have developed in these special conditions. For indigenous peoples, glaciers hold profound cultural and spiritual significance. The loss of these ice formations would mean the irreversible disappearance of places that are vital for preserving cultural heritage and spiritual practices, which have been recognized by UNESCO as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

To draw attention to this issue, the United Nations, at the initiative of Tajikistan, declared 2025 as the International Year for Glacier Conservation. Explaining the reasons that prompted this Central Asian country to propose the initiative, the UN highlights that, to date, more than 1,000 of Tajikistan’s 14,000 glaciers, which are the main source of drinking water in the Central Asia region, have completely melted. Moreover, the rate of their melting is accelerating. As mountain glaciers retreat, the availability and quality of water in the downstream areas also decrease, leading to consequences for aquatic ecosystems and many sectors such as agriculture and hydropower. For this reason, Turkmenistan's President also supported Tajikistan's initiative.

On December 14, 2022, during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the resolution proposed by the Republic of Tajikistan was unanimously adopted, approving March 21 as the World Day for Glacier Conservation, declaring 2025 as the International Year for Glacier Conservation, and establishing a Trust Fund within the UN to promote glacier conservation.

On January 21, 2025, UNESCO and the WMO officially announced the beginning of the International Year for Glacier Conservation, marking a major milestone in global efforts to protect these critical "water towers" of the planet. Throughout the year, numerous events and activities will be held under this global and coordinated initiative to raise public awareness of the crucial role glaciers play in the climate system and hydrological cycle, as well as to address urgent issues caused by the accelerated melting of glaciers. This year, Dushanbe will host an international conference on this issue.

UNESCO and WMO are the leading institutions coordinating these efforts with the support of over 75 international organizations and 35 countries. Following the January launch of the initiative at the WMO headquarters in Geneva, the first World Day for Glacier celebration will be held on March 20-21 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. For this occasion, UNESCO will dedicate its World Water Resources Report to the issue of glaciers, presenting new data on their disappearance and measures taken to address this issue. More information about the International Year for Glacier Conservation and how to participate in its initiatives can be found on the website www.un-glaciers.org .

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Photo: www.un-glaciers.org