IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE OF CRYOSPHERIC SCIENCES
On 10 June 2025, the International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Tajikistan hosted a scientific and practical roundtable dedicated to the launch of the International Decade of Action on Cryospheric (Glaciological) Sciences, 2025-2034.
The main objective of the event was to express support for the next global initiative of the Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, and to back the global movement to protect the cryosphere as a key priority of humanity’s climate policy.
A central highlight of the roundtable was the speech of President Emomali Rahmon in Nice, France (8 June 2025) at the official launch ceremony of the Decade of Cryospheric Sciences. Participants paid special attention to the content and significance of this address.
The roundtable brought together representatives of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Glacier Study Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, the university administration, scholars and experts, as well as media representatives.
The event opened with welcoming remarks by the First Vice-Rector of the University, Candidate of Economic Sciences and Associate Professor Mirzohid Abduvohidovich Rahimov. It was emphasized that, with pride, all had witnessed how on 8 June 2025 the revered Leader of the Tajik nation, President Emomali Rahmon, delivered a substantive speech in Nice at a high-level event marking the start of this important Decade. It was noted that this Decade of Cryospheric Sciences was proclaimed on the initiative of the Republic of Tajikistan and in cooperation with France another major international achievement in the field of water and climate diplomacy.
Subsequently, Khairulloi Abdullo Faizullozoda, Chief Specialist of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, spoke about the outcomes of the high-level international conference dedicated to the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Anvar Sherinovich Homidov, Candidate of Geographical Sciences and Leading Researcher at the Glacier Study Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, addressed the role of cryospheric sciences in strengthening water security and regional ecosystems.
Abdusamad Mahmadshoevich Hojiev, Chief Specialist of the Hydrometeorology Agency, spoke about the consequences of glacier melt and the need for precise monitoring.
Zulfiya Mahmanabievna Qurbonova, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, and Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Development and Green Economy (IUTET), delivered a presentation titled “Tajikistan at the Center of Global Green Diplomacy: The Launch of the Decade of Cryospheric Sciences as the Country’s Strategic Contribution to Addressing Climate Challenges.”
It was stressed during the roundtable that, as a result of the joint initiative of Tajikistan and France, the UN General Assembly officially proclaimed the International Decade of Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034), which is considered one of the major achievements of Tajikistan’s green diplomacy.
The discussions also focused on the need to strengthen cryospheric research, establish a regional coordination center on cryospheric sciences in Dushanbe, expand international and regional cooperation, engage young people in climate and cryospheric studies, and integrate subjects related to climate, the environment, and glaciers into educational curricula.
The outcomes of the roundtable were assessed as a practical step toward implementing the Decade’s goals and further enhancing Tajikistan’s strategic role in global climate policy.
