News
 UN General Assembly declares 2025–2034 as Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences18.09.2024In a decisive step toward addressing one of the most pressing climate issues, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously adopted a resolution on 13 August 2024, designating 2025 to 2034 as the "Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences". This landmark decision aims to tackle the growing challenges posed by melting glaciers and other changes in the cryosphere through enhanced scientific research and global climate action. The resolution, titled "Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, 2025–2034" (document A/78/L.99), was co-facilitated by France and Tajikistan and adopted without a vote. It calls for international cooperation to better understand the cryosphere—Earth’s frozen regions, such as glaciers, ice caps and permafrost—which are rapidly deteriorating due to climate change. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is mandated to lead the Decade’s implementation, collaborating with relevant UN organizations and stakeholders, including those involved in the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) 2025. The cryosphere plays a critical role in regulating climate and sea levels. Its decline is expected to have significant environmental, social and economic impacts, affecting water security, biodiversity and coastal communities worldwide. More than 30 countries have committed to advancing scientific efforts to mitigate these risks and reduce the vulnerability of glaciers and polar regions to climate change. Key objectives of the Decade include conducting large-scale research projects on cryospheric changes, improving climate data collection and modeling, and raising awareness of the cryosphere’s importance to the global climate system. These efforts will focus on understanding the causes of cryospheric changes, mapping future climate impacts, and mitigating the effects on ecosystems and communities. The Decade will be launched during IYGP 2025, which was declared in resolution A/RES/77/158 on 14 December 2022. The same resolution proclaimed 21 March of every year as World Day for Glaciers. UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization are facilitating IYGP 2025, supporting countries in addressing accelerated glacial melt and its consequences. The Mountain Partnership Secretariat is leading the task force for the IYGP 2025 global campaign. The cryosphere’s decline also exacerbates the challenges faced by mountain regions, which are similarly threatened by climate change. Thanks to key Mountain Partnership members, efforts to advance the mountain agenda have gained significant momentum. The UN General Assembly declared 2023-2027 as the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions, an opportunity to engage governments and civil society, and raise support and awareness for mountain issues. Mountains were included in the COP 28 global stocktake text, and the first-ever dialogue on mountains and climate change took place at SBSTA 60 in Bonn, Germany. The adoption of these resolutions and important events reflects growing international recognition of the urgent need to protect and preserve the cryosphere and mountains for a sustainable future. Photo by Brittany Mumma |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us
Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|
