PURPOSE: The Second Committee at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted Tajikistan’s initiative to declare 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and to proclaim March 21st as World Day of Glaciers, to be starting in 2025. Glacier melt delivers nutrients into lakes, rivers, and oceans. Those nutrients can drive blooms of phytoplankton—the base of aquatic and marine food chains. The World Day of Glaciers highlights the importance of glaciers as an integral component of the hydrological cycle and the serious impact of their accelerated melting on climate, the environment, human health, and sustainable development. World Day for Glaciers aim to raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow and ice in the climate system and the hydrological cycle, and the economic, social and environmental impacts of the impending changes in the Earth’s cryosphere. In this regard and in addressing the issues related to accelerated melting of glaciers and its consequences, the World Day for Glaciers also aim at encouraging the exchange of knowledge and best practices regarding glacier preservation and adaptation strategies. The initiative was proposed by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan at the first meeting of the Water and Climate Leaders in their Call for Action on 3 March 2021 and included in the tangible outcomes in the Water and Climate Leaders Action Plan for Integrated Water and Climate Agenda adopted during the Leaders’ meeting in Dushanbe on 4th June 2022.
FORUM: Glaciers are disappearing at an alarming rate, threatening water supplies, ecosystems, and millions of livelihoods worldwide, The melting of glaciers affects everyone: people living in coastal areas affected by sea level rise, people living in high mountain areas more prone to the risks of flooding, landslides and avalanches, and people living in downstream areas that are dependent on water supply from glaciers. Melting glaciers and ice sheets were identified as one of the largest contributors of sea level rise in the past decades according to IPCC 2022. Glaciers in UNESCO World Heritage sites are melting at an alarming rate, with a third of the sites set to disappear by 2050. In the same time frame, most remaining tropical glaciers in South America, Africa and Asia will vanish. Glacier loss is also accompanied by the loss of biodiversity, especially of endemic species, as well as the loss of cultural values and traditional ways of life. Glacier retreat clearly presents a serious threat to natural and human water supplies in many parts of the world. The International Year and World Day for Glaciers therefore focus on providing concrete recommendations to address climate change impacts on the cryosphere which result in increasingly irreversible losses, on advocating for more ambitious mitigation, on convening countries and communities affected by glacier loss for sharing knowledge and best practices for preservation and adaptation, and on raising international funding for adaptation action in affected areas. The International Year and World Day complement the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions 2023-2027 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2022. The Five Years of Action present the main outcome of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022 which was adopted by the General Assembly in December 2021. The importance of initiatives related to the Earths’ cryosphere for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals are recognized by the adoption of the International Year and World Day. The activities are further linked to the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2021-2028, the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 and the Global Biodiversity Framework. During the day, we ask to participants Why Glaciers Matter and What can we do to preserve them?. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #21march, #Worlddayofglaciers, #permafrost, #glaciers.
EVENTS: On March 21st at the UNHQ;The first World Day for Glaciers will be celebrated with a high-level event taking place in New York and with a symposium at UNESCO HQ in Paris on March 20th 2025. All Member States, UN entities, other international and regional organizations, and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other relevant stakeholders are invited to observe the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation and the World Day of Glaciers 2025. It also welcomed the generous offer of the Government of Tajikistan to convene an International Conference dedicated to glaciers’ preservation in Tajikistan in 2025. The UNESCO and WMO in cooperation with governments and relevant organizations of the UN system are invited to the observance of the World Day of Glaciers and develop necessary proposals on all activities, such as establishing an integrated global cryosphere information system and an international mechanism to facilitate access to accurate and timely information on the cryosphere. Read the concept note and Register to participate to the symposium in Paris or subscribe for the high-level event in New York!
On 21 January 21st 2025, The official curtain-raiser event represented by heads of WMO, UNESCO and Government of Tajikistan, was followed by a series of online events, forming part of the main programme. As part of the launch event, ICIMOD in collaboration with regional and international partners hosted three virtual side events highlighting key challenges and opportunities related to glacier preservation and sustainable mountain development.
The first side event was a panel, co-organized by ICIMOD and Asia Pacific Water Forum, on ‘Tackling glacial melt and water challenges in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: A science diplomacy approach for regional cooperation’. The panel highlighted critical inter connection between cryosphere, water security, and the need for regional stability. Participants emphasised that the downstream countries, though far from the glaciers, must be included in discussion on glacial changes and impacts.
The second side event ‘Decades of cryosphere actions in HKH: Moving towards a flagship initiative’ presented the current status of the cryosphere in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), a strategic long-term roadmap for addressing cryosphere-related challenges, opportunities in the region, and highlights of ICIMOD’s cryosphere research over the years.
The third side event, another panel, co-organised with the Task Force 2 and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), ‘Glaciers at the crossroads: Climate challenges and responses’, discussed innovative solutions for strengthening transboundary and cross-sectoral water cooperation in glacier-fed basins. Participants shared regional insights and discussed cooperative strategies to mitigate the impacts of glacier melt on downstream communities and enhance regional data-sharing for building regional climate resilience strategies.
Additionally, leading up to the IYGP 2025 launch event, Neera Shrestha Pradhan participated as a resource person for the masterclass on ‘Glaciers for journalists’ on 16 January 2025. The session enhanced participating journalists’ understanding of glaciers and expected to improve the accuracy of media reporting on glacier-related topics. The event brought together over 318 media professionals from 64 countries across all continents.
Expected Outcomes • Increased Awareness: Heightened public and stakeholder awareness of the importance of glaciers and the need for their preservation, leading to greater support for sustainable measures. • Enhanced Collaboration: Strengthened collaboration and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders, including governments, scientists, civil society, and local communities, fostering transboundary and regional cooperation. • Policy Advances: Improved policy frameworks and integration of glacier preservation into national and international agendas, including climate change adaptation, water management, and disaster risk reduction strategies. • Scientific Insights: Expanded scientific understanding of glacier dynamics, climate change impacts, and associated risks, leading to more effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. • Cryosphere Initiatives: Increased implementation of sustainable measures for cryosphere systems, including community-led, citizen science initiatives, monitoring systems, innovative technologies, and integrated water resource management approaches. • Increase in funding support: By strengthening financial support, we can ensure the availability of adequate resources to monitor glaciers, understand their changes, and effectively manage the impacts of climate change on water resources. This will contribute to the resilience of communities, ecosystems, and economies that depend on glaciers for water supply and other critical services.
PODCASTS: The intervenants will highlight the various impacts of glacier changes on downstream communities and ecosystems, and will focus on the urgent need for developing water-related adaptation strategies in areas affected by shrinking or disappearing glaciers, more transboundary cooperation and community engagement, alongside continued support for ambitious reductions in fossil fuel consumption. Listen the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN: Take appropriate steps to organize the implementation of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, explore the action tookit, the poster and other materials; The campaign will engage youth audiences and develop synergies with the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034). Learn More on the "Save our glaciers" campaign. Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
PARTNERSHIPS
We celebrate the world Day of Glaciers to:
• Raise Awareness: Increase public and stakeholder awareness at all levels about the importance of glaciers in the climate system, hydrological cycle and global water resources, the differential impacts of glacier changes on downstream communities and ecosystems, and the urgent action needed to develop adaptation strategies. • Promote Action: Facilitate the implementation of sustainable measures and best practices for the preservation of glaciers, encouraging transboundary cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and innovative approaches. • Enhance Scientific Understanding: Support scientific research and monitoring initiatives to improve the understanding of glacier changes, the impacts of climate change, possible loss and damages and the implications for communities, ecosystems and water resources. • Strengthen Policy Frameworks: Advocate for robust policy frameworks at national, regional, and international levels to address the preservation of glaciers, incorporating climate change adaptation, sustainable water management, and disaster risk reduction strategies. • Strengthen Financial Support: Ensure financial resources are made available to support glacier monitoring and management of the impact of climate change on glacier melt and downstream impacts.
Towards Regional Workshops and Capacity Building
Facilitate dialogue among policymakers, scientists, civil society, and relevant stakeholders to promote transdisciplinary collaboration and actionable solutions. • Organize regional workshops in collaboration with regional organizations to address specific challenges related to glaciers' preservation, considering regional contexts and needs. • Provide capacity-building programs, training workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms for stakeholders, including policymakers, scientists, and local communities. • Convene countries and communities affected by glacier loss on the international, national and (inter-)regional level to strengthen advocacy, knowledge-sharing and experience exchange. • Support outreach, dissemination and communication through the GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN)
In Research and Monitoring Initiatives
• Support scientific research projects and monitoring initiatives to enhance understanding of glacier dynamics, climate change impacts, and associated risks to ecosystems and water resources. • Support activities concerning transboundary impacts of glacier changes and transboundary cooperation and communication. • Foster collaboration among research institutions, universities, and relevant organizations to facilitate data sharing, analysis, and the development of predictive models. • Establish an Integrated Global Cryosphere Information System as a long-term mechanism to facilitate access to consistent cryosphere data and indicators and to develop standard approaches to monitor the cryosphere changes, integrated with the global water monitoring system in coordination with the World Glacier Monitoring Systems (WGMS). • Include Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) for effective management of water availability by mountain communities. • Establish an Open Science Policy platform to facilitate science-based consensus among countries on major challenges from melting glacier snow and permafrost to consequent water availability in the upstream-downstream hydrological systems in all mountain regions. • Encourage regional and international cooperative research programmes to further improve our knowledge about melting dynamics and peak water, and potential solutions to mitigate negative impact of glacier melt as well as strategies leading to reduced glacier melting rates. • Enhance data and information, and science-policy linkages on glaciers in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves including local stakeholders in the observation of glaciers and co-creation of knowledge. • Glacio-hydrological prediction systems and operational outlook mechanisms unite to predict glacier melt and to update future projections of expected meltwater. • Regular reporting on changes of glaciers and snow, at scales relevant to needs, is formalized and included in local, national, regional and global reporting mechanisms. • Assessment of short-term, medium-term, and long-term water availability for all mountain basins under current and future deglaciated conditions and climate. • Strengthen the monitoring, analytical and response capacities of institutions for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), through community and gender-sensitive training and awareness campaigns, and through the establishment of Early Warning Systems (EWS) for mountain systems. • Assessment of societal risks and vulnerabilities associated with Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and addressing these risks and vulnerabilities to establish a framework for early detection of potential glacier-related hazards and risks.
.The UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) join forces to champion the cause of glaciers. They are the leading UN agencies in charge of the International Day and the International Year of Glaciers.
In Policy Advocacy and Partnerships
• Advocate for the integration of glacier preservation considerations into national and regional climate change strategies, water management policies, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) plans. • Forge partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, private sectors, and academia to leverage expertise, resources, and funding for glacier preservation initiatives. • Strengthen coordination by linking global data centres including existing international organizations working on cryosphere such as the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) as well as existing monitoring systems such as World Glacier Monitoring Services (WGMS), Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains (GAPHAZ), Global Land and Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) and Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI). • Establish plans for reducing the carbon footprint of the scientific community with the goal of glacier preservation.
How to Mobilize Funding Support ?
• Invite governments, international organizations and private sector entities, philanthropic foundations, and other relevant stakeholders to discuss possible funding and resources mobilization from various sources. • Secure dedicated funding for glacier monitoring programs and research projects as well as capacity building programs. • Target climate finance to support adaptation actions aimed at increasing the resilience and adaptive capacity of communities and ecosystems directly affected by glacier retreat and associated risks, as well as downstream regions that depend on glaciers.