00:00Currently, the greatest challenge for Central Asia region is the state of their glaciers.
00:06As you know, they are melting, and they are melting fast.
00:10So, we are facing that challenge, and the issue here is how we face that together.
00:17With its vast mountain ranges and the largest number of glaciers in Central Asia,
00:30Tajikistan is a vital place to highlight the role glaciers play in global water challenges.
00:36Today, the capital city, Dushanbe, is hosting a high-level international conference focused on their protection.
00:43I cordially welcome you to the Republic of Tajikistan at the International High-Level Conference on Glaciers Preservation,
00:55and hereby declare the conference open.
01:00The event marks the start of the International Year of Glacier Preservation, declared by the United Nations,
01:06a global effort to raise awareness about melting glaciers.
01:10The UN resolution behind it was initiated by Tajikistan,
01:14which is now calling for urgent action to protect these vital water sources.
01:18...
01:38Tajikistan is home to the world's largest continental glacier,
02:02Vanchiakh, formerly known as Fechenko.
02:05It has already retreated by more than one kilometer over the past 80 years.
02:10During the three-day event, official delegations witnessed the real-life impact of glacier melt firsthand.
02:16Adaptation is what we have to do now because the glaciers are melting.
02:21We have to protect and preserve them. That will require science,
02:24but we also have to look at the agenda for the SDGs to see how we can protect livelihoods,
02:29how we can protect economies, and that needs specific investments.
02:32Food security is a key part of the glacier-related risk agenda and a major focus of the conference.
02:39At the Glacier Festival, held during the event, organizers highlighted how melting glaciers
02:44threaten agriculture, which supports 70 percent of local livelihoods.
02:50Now, major financial institutions are stepping in to help countries adapt.
02:55We just had heard the announcement from the vice president of the Asian Development Bank
03:00and the executive director of the Green Climate Fund, Madame Mafalda Duarte, that the ADB and the GCF
03:07are working together to launch a new regional program, which will include nine countries, including Tajikistan,
03:14with the total financing expected to 3.5 billion to finance adaptation measures in the region.
03:22Over half of Central Asia's drinking water comes from glaciers in Tajikistan.
03:27But of the country's 14,000 glaciers, 1,300 have already disappeared and the melting is accelerating.
03:35Most are located in remote high-altitude regions. At the conference, President Emom Ali Rahmon
03:42called for a major glacier study and a regional research lab focused on the Vanjieh glacier.
03:48At the same time, Tajikistan is putting its climate commitments into action, aiming to cut emissions
03:54by up to 50 percent by 2030, and signs of progress are already visible.
03:59You can also see on the streets of Dushanbe the number of electric cars. It's not that they are just
04:08crying out about the problem. They are also doing their part. And also the energy transition,
04:14more towards the electricity, renewables, is extremely important. And this is something
04:19that Tajikistan is well ahead of some of its neighbors. A global call to action was the key
04:25takeaway as the three-day glaciers preservation conference ended in Dushanbe. The event wrapped
04:32with closing remarks from the host country and the World Meteorological Organization, which stressed
04:38the urgent need to improve weather monitoring in mountain regions. The event resulted in two key
04:45outcomes – the Dushanbe Declaration and the Dushanbe Appeal, a global call for stronger cooperation
04:51to protect glaciers and the cryosphere for future generations.
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