President of Tajikistan calls for contributions to International Glacier Protection Trust Fund

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Climate change is having a negative impact on key sectors of the national economy, such as energy, industry, and agriculture, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon stated at a session of the UN General Assembly, reports Asiaplus.tj.

"In recent years, along with recurring droughts, natural disasters have caused significant damage to agriculture, the environment, and the economies of developing countries as a whole," he noted.

Rahmon mentioned that natural disasters annually cause damage to Tajikistan’s economy amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars and, in many cases, lead to significant human casualties.

Climate change is causing the rapid melting of glaciers and a reduction in water levels in rivers around the world, including in Central Asia, Rahmon claimed.

"As of today, more than a thousand of Tajikistan's 14,000 glaciers, which are the main source of drinking water in the region, have completely melted, and the rate of their melting is increasing. This is despite the fact that Tajikistan’s precipitation and glaciers make up to 60% of Central Asia’s water resources," the President of Tajikistan stated.

He also highlighted that the UN’s declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Protection, initiated by Tajikistan, provides a solid foundation for fostering cooperation among interested parties.

"According to this UN General Assembly decision, March 21 has been designated as World Glacier Day, and a Glacier Protection Trust Fund has been created under the UN Secretary-General. In this context, the first high-level conference on glacier issues will be held in Dushanbe next year," Rahmon announced.

Emomali Rahmon expressed confidence that this important international conference, organized in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, will play an effective role in assessing the global glacier issue and finding concrete solutions for it. Furthermore, he called on all partners to actively contribute to the International Glacier Protection Trust Fund.

CentralasianLIGHT.org
September 25, 2024