Remarks by the President of the General Assembly

Mr. Philemon Yang

at the High-level celebration of World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2025
[As Delivered]
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21 March 2025,
Trusteeship Council Chamber
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Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
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Today, we gather to commemorate the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day.
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But this is more than a commemoration.
It is a wake-up call.
It is an urgent call.
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A call to recognize that our glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate. That entire communities and ecosystems depend on the water the glaciers provide.
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If we fail to act, we risk losing the glaciers forever.
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I thank Tajikistan for leading this initiative and all Member States and United Nations agencies who have championed this cause.
Their leadership reminds us of an undeniable truth- glaciers are disappearing before our eyes.?It is a painful reality.
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Glaciers hold 70 percent of the world’s fresh water- a lifeline for people, agriculture, and economies. Yet, we have taken them for granted for far too long.
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But glaciers do not wait. They do not negotiate. They simply melt.?They melt every minute.
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The Himalayas, for instance, supply water to over 1.9 billion people.
Yet, rapid glacier retreat is depleting vital water sources, threatening water security across various nations.
But this crisis does not stop at the Himalayas.
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What disappears from the mountains reshapes the world below effectively.
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The same glacial ice that provides drinking water and irrigation today will, if lost, find its way to the oceans- driving sea level rise, threatening coastal communities, and intensifying extreme weather events.
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This is not a crisis of one region, one country, or one people. This is a global crisis. This crisis concerns our whole planet Earth.
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Excellences,

We must deliver on our climate goals.
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The loss of glaciers is not just an environmental crisis- it is a human crisis.
This crisis will harm human beings everywhere.
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Glaciers regulate climate, sustain biodiversity, and secure freshwater reserves. Their disappearance will destabilize economies, disrupt agriculture, and push millions into food and water scarcity.
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We cannot let vulnerable countries bear the cost of a crisis they did not create.
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High-emitting nations must step up with stronger commitments, increased climate finance, and decisive action to curb emissions.
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The world does not need more promises. It needs results.?The world needs action.
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The connection between glaciers, water, and our future is undeniable. Thus, it makes sense to also commemorate water day.
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Water is vital in all parts of the world. That is why water is an important component of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Pact for the Future.
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It is about clean and accessible water, sanitation, sustainable land use, and protecting life on our planet Earth.
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This must be a turning point- a time for countries to move beyond words and deliver real action.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
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We need stronger policies, urgent investments, and global cooperation to protect this vital resource.
Because water is more than just a necessity-
It is life.
It is food security.
It is peace.
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This is not just about the mountains or the oceans. It is about our collective future.?It is about the future of humanity.
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Let us begin now to look ahead particularly to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. This Conference is aimed at driving forward the solutions needed to protect glaciers and manage water resources sustainably.
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We cannot afford to wait. We must act- before the ice disappears.
We must act before our glaciers all disappear.
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I thank you.
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Media Contacts

 

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