Message by Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, with congratulations to the President of Tajikistan

Your Excellency,

I have the honour of congratulating you and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on the successful adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the 14 December 2022 resolution declaring 2025 as ‘the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation’ and proclaiming 21 March the World Day for Glaciers starting from the year 2025.

UNESCO welcomes Tajikistan’s proactive role in the adoption of this resolution. We strongly believe it will help to address the importance of glaciers as a component of the hydrological cycle, and to further stress the imminent problems that the accelerated melting and retreat of glaciers has on the environment, human health, and water security - a need first recognized during UNESCO’s International Hydrological Decade of 1965-1974.

Moreover, your initiative has offered our Organization the opportunity to cooperate efficiently with the Government of Tajikistan to prepare the scientific basis of the resolution and raise awareness of these topics through several events, such as those at the last two COPs in Glasgow and Sharm el-Sheikh, and during the high-level week of the 77th UNGA in September 2022.

For the next months and years, UNESCO will be pleased to participate with other relevant agencies of the UN system in the Year of Glaciers as proposed by Tajikistan. Through our Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, we have already taken action with several projects to assess the impact of snow and glaciers in Central Asia - efforts which will strengthen regional cooperation, enhance knowledge sharing and dialogue and expand cooperation among local scientists and institutions. We look forward to continuing to work with you to further strengthen these important initiatives.

Looking forward to a visit in your country, I wish to express my sincere gratitude for our continued and fruitful collaboration.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration

Note: UNESCO Almaty office is launching a new regional project, funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on monitoring of cryosphere (glaciers, permafrost and snow) and regional cooperation, to better understand climate change impact on cryosphere in Central Asia.