Glaciers that melt can have deep effects on nations worldwide, from mountain communities to small island states. At the UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, March 21, the president of the UN General Assembly, Philémon Yang, closed the acts of the inaugural world glacier day with a marked warning: “We cannot afford to wait, we must act before the ice disappears … before all our glaciers disappear.”
The event was held in the Chamber of the Trust Council, a space used from the 1940s to the 1990s to supervise the decolonization of the territories under the UN administration, the location was symbolic, since the Chamber has long associated with international cooperation.
The procedures began with a “high -level opening”, a term used in diplomatic circles to denote the introduction of a problem by a head of state or high -ranking minister. In this case, the president was Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tayikistan, who has worked closely with the UN for almost two decades. His presence underlined Tayikistan’s deep commitment to collaborate with the UN, particularly as a country that depends on glaciers for water supplies, to guarantee its preservation for the future.
“[For Tajikistan] Glacier preservator … It is a socioeconomic necessity, “said Bahodur Sheralizoda, president of the Environmental Protection Committee of the Tayikistan Government, in the case. Despite being a country of very low emission that derives more than 90% of its energy from its hydroelectric energy, Tajikistan faces significant challenges due to the mixture of the glacial lake caused by the ardor of fossil. Floods of bursts threaten bridges and roads, and the most frequent drought that affects agriculture, energy production and industrial activities.
Following the opening statements, the main glaciologists and climate experts emphasized private messages about the preservation of glaciers. Shawn MarshallA scientific advisor to the Canadian government, expressed concern about the acceleration rate of glacial fusion: “Within the community of glaciology, most of us are surprised by the speed with which this is being developed … The glacier thinning rate is more than warming.” A contributing factor that highlighted was the glacial darkening. He explained that the deposition of forest fire debris has reduced the ability of glaciers to reflect sunlight, causing faster fusion.
Ben OrloveSenior research scientist at the Columbia Climate School and professor at the Columbia International and Public Affairs School (SIPA), emphasized the value of integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge. “Scientific knowledge is rich and global in scale,” he said, “but is often on a surface time scale.” Indigenous knowledge is characterized by “continuous monitoring of the landscape” and “attention to interaction with water, with vegetation, with soils,” he added. Orlove also discussed the complementarity of scientific and indigenous knowledge systems, citing community projects in Peru and Nepal.
Angela HawseA mountain guide and an environmental defender, focused on the power of the basic mobilization to boost climatic action. She highlighted the work of Protect our wintersAn organization dedicated to involving outdoor enthusiasts and interest groups in lobbying for policy change. Hawse stressed the importance of effective communication strategies such as emphasizing “the severity of the situation and the possible loss of the things we love outdoors” to press for specific objectives, such as the public protection of the land and the legislation that moves clean energy forward and addresses the climatic impacts.
Following the panel of experts, the representatives of the UN Member States delivered formal statements, describing their national positions on the subject of the preservation of the glaciers. The representative of Barbados opened with a recognition that, although there are no glaciers, snow or ice on the tropical island of Barbados, “there is a connection between what is going in glaciers and what goes on the coasts of the small islands in development of states like Barbados.” Pakistan referred to his event at the headquarters of 2024 at UNESCO in Paris, entitled “Glacial Shift: revealing the unique climate challenge of Pakistan.” This event focused on the Karakoram anomaly, the unusual phenomenon in which glaciers in the region maintain a stable mass due to the lowest temperatures located. The delegate argued that this further strengthens the need to limit the increase in temperature.
Other attendees included Suzanne O’Connella geo -scientific from the Wesleyan University, who recently presented a report On the growing risks of the flood floods of the glacial lake to the representatives of the insurance industry. There were also several NGOs, such as Project pressurewhich has mapped three missing glaciers in Uganda. His presence indicated an interest on the part of the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Scientific and Scientific Organization of Education (UNESCO), the main organizers of the event, in the expansion of glacial defense beyond the UN limits.
In the meeting room, there were copies of the UN Water Development Report 2025 Theme “Mountains and glaciers: Water towers”. The report, published by UNESCO on behalf of a-Water, was publicly launched at the same time as World Glacier Day. A key finding was that 60% of the world’s fresh water supply originates in “increasingly fragile mountain environments”, which emphasizes the connection between glaciers and fresh water.
After a brief pause, the World Glacier Day event made the transition to a discussion about sustainable water management for World Water Day. Since 1993, March 22 has been World Water Day, with each year presenting a different theme. This year’s theme was Glacier preservation.
A key challenge, according to the panelists of World Water Day, was how to manage international cooperation in the changing global organ. Kaveh MadaniDirector of the UN Institute of Water, Environment and Health, argued that “the main problem we are dealing with is the uncertainty about the new world order.” This raises challenges such as “water governance”, especially given the loss of glaciers, “the largest fresh water deposits in the world.”
The representative of Russia insisted that “the water agenda … has to be a look through a development lens [and] Do not connect[ed] To the problem of peace and security. “Meanwhile, the UN Water Development Report emphasized the need for” multilateralism “, since climatic adaptation and water management are transnational problems.
Through the UN, “some small countries have hit well above their weight,” he said Daniel NaujoksDirector of the International Organization and Specialization in UN Studies in SIPA. Since the 1990s, small islanders have pressed the world to recognize sea level as a crucial issue. Naujoks cited Kiribati’s leadership (a nation of Pacific Island) in the climate government as an example. Similarly, Tayikistan, a small mountainous nation, has achieved something similar with its constant promotion of World Glacier Day. In fact, the speakers of the day highlighted the interconnection of our world and its changing climate, since the glacial ice that affects mountain countries travels to the ocean, which leads to the increase in sea level that Kiribati’s island nations and Barbados.
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