On 12 November in Belém, Brazil, a thematic side event was held on the margins of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP30). Organized by UNESCO, the session focused on assessing the impacts of climate change on the cryosphere and the resulting risks for small island developing states.
The event marked the launch of activities under the UN General Assembly resolution “The Decade of Action on Cryosphere Science, 2025–2034,” initiated jointly by the Republic of Tajikistan and the French Republic.
A representative of the Committee for Environmental Protection of Tajikistan opened the meeting, stressing that glacier protection remains one of the most urgent issues on the global environmental agenda. He called on participating states, financial institutions, and regional organizations to actively support the outcomes of the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Protection, which took place in May this year in Dushanbe.
The event gathered high-level participants, including the French Special Envoy for Climate Change and senior representatives of leading international bodies: • the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), • the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), • the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), • the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), • the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).
The speakers expressed strong support for Tajikistan’s initiatives aimed at advancing global glacier protection efforts and emphasized the importance of coordinated action to safeguard cryosphere-dependent ecosystems.
📌 Source: Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan
