Calling melting glaciers “one of the most pressing crises of our time,” Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan yesterday joined fellow heads of state and international experts at the High-Level International Conference on Glaciers Preservation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Convened from May 29 to 31, the summit brought together more than 40 countries to chart a path forward in safeguarding the world’s rapidly receding ice reserves.
Speaking via video link from Thimphu, Prime Minister Tobgay underscored that glaciers not only serve as crucial freshwater reservoirs for more than 1.5 billion people but also act as sentinels of climate change. “As glaciers shrink, entire communities—particularly in mountainous regions—face heightened risks: water scarcity, increased flooding in the short term, and devastating shortages downstream in the long run,” he warned. He called for bolstered cooperation, arguing that no single nation, regardless of its size, can combat glacial melt in isolation.
The conference was organized under the patronage of Tajikistan’s President, Emomali Rahmon, whose own country hosts some of Central Asia’s largest ice fields. Over three days, attendees discussed scientific assessments, financing mechanisms, and policy frameworks designed to slow or reverse glacial retreat. Panel sessions addressed topics ranging from community-led adaptation in the Himalayas and Andes to advanced monitoring technologies being piloted in Alaska and Norway.
Tobgay’s remote address highlighted Bhutan’s own efforts to protect its high-altitude glaciers, which feed the headwaters of the Brahmaputra and Mekong rivers. He noted that Bhutan—though a small, landlocked nation nestled in the Eastern Himalayas—experiences firsthand the early stages of glacial thinning. “Our scientists have documented a worrying trend: many of our smaller glaciers could vanish within two decades if global warming continues unchecked,” he said. He used this local example to illustrate a broader point: “The fate of the world’s ice reserves is not a distant concern. It affects food security, energy production, and livelihoods for millions.”
During the conference, delegates agreed on a multi-pronged “Dushanbe Declaration,” which calls for accelerated research funding, enhanced data-sharing among glaciological institutes, and emergency response protocols for communities already experiencing glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The declaration also urges multilateral development banks to prioritize investments in climate-resilient infrastructure—such as reinforced bridges and early warning systems—in vulnerable river basins.
Addressing a live panel of scientists and finance ministers, Prime Minister Tobgay stressed that mitigation efforts must be complemented by adaptation strategies in the most affected regions. He proposed the formation of a “Glacier Preservation Fund,” aimed at supporting small mountain states and local municipalities in deploying glacial lake drainage systems and sustainable water-storage facilities. “Prevention is better, and far cheaper, than reconstruction after disaster,” Tobgay remarked. “By mobilizing resources now, we can avoid the catastrophic economic and human costs that unchecked glacial melt will bring.”
Observers noted that the virtual participation of leaders like Tobgay lent additional weight to the conference’s outcomes. His presence underscored how countries with limited emissions footprints are nevertheless among the first to bear the brunt of climate impacts. Several delegates praised Bhutan’s recent decision to achieve net-negative carbon emissions by 2030, calling it a model for other nations. In his concluding remarks, Tobgay urged developed countries to honor their commitments under the Paris Agreement and increase funding for climate research.
As the three-day summit came to a close, conference organizers pledged to reconvene in two years to assess progress against the Dushanbe Declaration’s benchmarks. For now, participants departed with a renewed sense of urgency. In the words of Prime Minister Rahmon, “Today’s glaciers are tomorrow’s water—if we fail them now, there may be nothing left to save.”
