Tajikistan has called for more international funding to protect glaciers, at a high-level side event of the COP31 climate conference in Türkiye, reported Asiaplus.tj on Friday.
The event, titled “Glaciers, Cryosphere and Resilience Amid Growing Impact,” was held on November 12 at Tajikistan’s initiative. Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan co-organised it, according to Tajikistan’s Committee for Environmental Protection. Deputy Prime Minister Sulaymon Ziyozoda presented Tajikistan’s position on water resources and ecosystems.
Participants warned that faster glacier melt and the degradation of the cryosphere threaten water, food and energy security for millions of people. They called for predictable, long-term financing for climate projects in mountain countries, more scientific cooperation and better glacier monitoring systems. No specific funding pledges were announced.
Representatives of Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Lesotho, as well as UNESCO and the Asian Development Bank, also took part. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation on mountain ecosystems.
Tajikistan holds a large share of Central Asia’s freshwater, much of it stored in glaciers in the Pamirs, which feed the Amu Darya river. Dushanbe has made water diplomacy a foreign policy priority and will host a UN water conference in 2028.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 13, 2026