Ms. Audrey Azoulay
Director-General of UNESCO
Welcome Message by the Director-General for the Dushanbe Glaciers' Conference - 2025
Dear friends, I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for hosting this International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation, a pivotal event to be held in Dushanbe from 29 May to 1 June 2025.
The Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, as well as the Tian Shan and the Hindu KushHimalayas, are home to an extensive network of glaciers — including some of the largest in the world — and glacial lakes.
Glacial and polar regions cover only 10% of the Earth’s surface, but they are essential for all life on our planet. They play a vital role in regulating the climate and store about 70% of the world’s freshwater.
We know that climate disruption affects every aspect of life on earth — and glaciers are no exception. Rising global temperatures cause accelerated melting of glacial ice, putting our planet’s “white lung” at significant risk.
Recognizing the global impact of these glaciers and the urgency of addressing their rapid melting, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, on the initiative of Tajikistan — bringing water and cryosphere issues to the forefront of the international agenda.
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.
In fact, a 2022 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.
This is why we are committed to advancing education and scientific research and fostering multilateral cooperation on this critical issue.
A worldwide inventory of existing perennial ice and snow masses was first proposed during the International Hydrological Decade, led by UNESCO almost 60 years ago.
Yet, wide gaps remain in glacier monitoring and water resource management — and closing these gaps is a key priority for UNESCO as we coordinate the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, which began this year. Today, as environmental challenges intensify, the need to tackle these issues — to share knowledge and develop strategies to safeguard the world’s glaciers for future generations — has never been more pressing.
Together, let us recognize the urgency of taking global, coordinated action to preserve our world’s natural heritage.
I wish you all a successful conference.
Thank you.
