Glaciers are the largest objects on our planet. The close relationship between glaciers and climate has made glaciers a subject of interest to scientists and naturalists. In this sense, global warming affects glaciers and contributes to their retreat and destruction. Therefore, efforts to slow and reverse climate change are very important for the planet.

Glaciers are one of the unique riches and sources of fresh and drinking water of the land of Tajikistan and the planet. According to sources, there are more than 25,000 rivers and streams, up to 14,000 glaciers and many lakes that store 20 km3 of drinking water.

The problem of climate change and its consequences, especially the rapid melting of glaciers, is one of the issues of concern to the world community, including Tajikistan. The consequences of this change affect water resources in Central Asia and are already making themselves felt. The melting of the largest glacier on land, the Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan, which is more than 75 kilometers long, is a vivid example. Studies show that only for the last 70-80 years Fedchenko glacier has retreated more than one kilometer, and its area has decreased to 44 square kilometers. At the same time, its volume has decreased by 15 cubic kilometers, and the average rate of retreat of the glacier top is 16 meters per year.

Annually according to official data alone, 4.5 million people die on Earth due to poor water quality and lack of quality water, and almost 1.200 million people suffer from various diseases. Water has turned from a simple and accessible natural resource into a vital economic resource. The day is not far when water will replace oil and gas as the regulating instruments of world politics.

On this issue, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, during his speech at the 58^th session of the UN General Assembly, September 30, 2003, expressed the following opinion: "Lack of clean water is one of the problems of the new millennium facing the world community. All over the world, more and more water is required every year to produce the necessary amount of food. To prove this fact I will give an example of such figures, globally about one billion 200 thousand people are deprived of the opportunity to use clean water, every year more than five million people die from diseases associated with the use of dirty water. It should be recalled that in March 2021, during the first meeting of the leaders of the Water and Climate Alliance, the Leader of the nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Honorable Emomali Rahmon noted that the rapid melting of glaciers along with increasing water consumption, which depends on population growth and economic development, can lead to negative consequences. Taking this into account, the President of the country proposed to focus international attention on this issue by declaring 2025 the International Year of Glacier Protection as well as to establish a special international fund for glacier protection.

This decision was made on December 14, 2022 by the UN General Assembly during its 77th session, which adopted the resolution "2025 International Year of Glacier Protection" proposed by the Republic of Tajikistan.

It is a matter of pride that based on this resolution, the proposals made by the Founder of Peace and National Unity - Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, were supported by the UN Member States. including:

- Declaring March 21 as the International Day for the Protection of Glaciers;

- Declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Protection;

- Establishing an International Trust Fund at the UN to promote glacier protection;

- Holding an international conference on glacier protection in Dushanbe in 2025.

Initiatives of the great Leader of the nation in the field of water and water policy for the last 20 years are constantly supported by the UN. Undoubtedly, the influence and positions of our country in the international arena have been achieved as a result of realization of wise and good neighborly policy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Honorable Emomali Rahmon. Today, the world community has recognized that the leader of the Tajik people is the initiator of six major international processes: "International Year of Clean Water" (2003), International Decade of Action "Water for Life" (2005-2015), "International Decade of Action "Water for Life. International Year of Water Cooperation." (2013), the International Decade of Action "Water for Sustainable Development" (2018-2028), the Year of Glacier Conservation (2025), and the declaration of March 21 as the World Year of Glacier Conservation. Day. Each of these initiatives is of vital importance to humanity.

Muqimov Amriddin

Assistant of the department of pathological physiology

translated Ismoilov R.