Tajikistan hosts international conference on glaciers’ preservation
Tajikistan is hosting a major International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation from 29 May to 1 June 2025 in Dushanbe to highlight the urgency of halting glacial retreat and to raise it to the top of the global climate agenda.
- Conference highlights economic and environmental importance of glaciers
- Depletion of world’s water towers threatens supplies for hundreds of millions
- Five of past six years have seen most rapid glacier retreat on record
- Glacier melt currently second largest contributor to sea-level rise
“Glaciers preservation is not just a problem of countries with glaciers but rather a global crisis that deserves the immediate attention of the international community,” said Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon in an opening address.
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. It is one of the highlights of activities for the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
The World Meteorological Organization, Asian Development Bank and UNESCO are partners in organizing the conference, which is attended by government leaders and ministers, as well as UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
“The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate 2024 Report highlights that 2021-2024 represents the most negative three-year glacier mass balance period on record, and seven of the ten most negative annual glacier mass balances since 1950 have occurred since 2016,” said Amina Mohammed.
She cited figures from the World Glacier Monitoring Service that since 1975, glaciers have lost more than 9000 billion tons which is equivalent to a huge ice block of the size of Germany with 25 meters thickness.
There are more than 275,000 glaciers worldwide, covering approximately 700,000 km². Together with ice sheets, glaciers store about 70% of the global freshwater resources.
“Our glaciers are dying,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “Nepal recently declared the loss of Langtang’s Yala Glacier. Venezuela has become the second country in the world after Slovenia to lose all its glaciers. The death of a glacier means much more than the loss of ice. It is a mortal blow to our ecosystems, economies, and social fabric,” she said.
Depletion of glaciers therefore threatens supplies to hundreds of millions of people who live downstream and depend on the release of water stored over past winters during the hottest and driest parts of the year. In the short-term, glacier melt increases natural hazards like landslides and floods.
This was dramatically illustrated by the collapse as part of a glacier in the southern Swiss Alps on 28 May, triggering a gigantic avalanche of ice, mud and debris which buried much of the small village of Blatten. There were no confirmed fatalities thanks to early warnings and evacuations, highlighting the importance of multi-hazard early warnings which many developing countries lack.
Bridge science and services
“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,” said Celeste Saulo.
At the conference, Celeste Saulo emphasized that glacier monitoring, research, and related services in high mountain and polar regions are critical priorities for WMO. Observing, predicting, and effectively communicating glacier changes are vital to mitigating their impacts on people, economies, and ecosystems.
Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems
A report titled, "Water, Ice, Society, and Ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya" (by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in 2023, predicts that the region could lose up to two-thirds of its glaciers by the end of the century. In Tajikistan, around 30% of glaciers have disappeared over the last century.
The Vanj yakh (former Fedchenko) Glacier, the world’s largest continental glacier, has retreated by over 1 km in the past 70–80 years and shrunk by 44 km². That’s the equivalent of 6.4 million Olympic swimming pools and 6,000 football fields worth of ice.
The impacts cascade from mountain communities to megacities. Brazil’s Amazon, fed by Andean glaciers, is in severe drought and extreme events from rapid snowmelt, glacier outburst floods and landslides have hit countries from Germany to Peru to Nepal. Glacier melt has already contributed an estimated 18 millimeters to sea-level rise, posing a major risk for coastal areas.
Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO stated that, “In 2022, a UNESCO study highlighted that the glaciers in one third of these world heritage sites are projected to disappear by 2050 — a stark reminder of the need for bold and immediate climate action. At UNESCO, we are committed to glacier preservation, with glaciers present in over 120 UNESCO-designated sites, including biosphere reserves, global geoparks and world heritage sites.”
“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.”
The three-day conference brings together government leaders, heads of international agencies and glacier experts, policymakers, and climate leaders from around the world.
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.
Conference photos are available here.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation in atmospheric science and meteorology.
WMO monitors weather, climate, and water resources and provides support to its Members in forecasting and disaster mitigation. The organization is committed to advancing scientific knowledge and improving public safety and well-being through its work.
For further information, please contact:
- Clare Nullis WMO media officer cnullis@wmo.int +41 79 709 13 97
- WMO Strategic Communication Office Media Contact media@wmo.int