Banff, January 24 and 25, 2025 – The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), in collaboration with the Canadian Initiative in Support of the United Nations International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, and Guardians of the Ice, co-organized two events to launch the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP 2025) in Canada.
On January 24, 2025, Prof. Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH officially launched the IYGP 2025 initiative in Canada that brought together over forty partners, featuring VIP guests, Canadian dignitaries, initiative partners, and members of the press. Other high-level speakers included Senator Karen Sorensen, Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Tourism Caucus and Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (AGFO) and Indigenous Peoples (APPA), and Dr. Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), co-host of the Year in Canada. A pre-recorded keynote address by Ambassador Jonibek Hikmat, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan to the United Nations in New York, also highlighted the role of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in championing the IYGP 2025.
In his keynote remarks, Ambassador Hikmat emphasized the urgency of the initiative, stating, “Glaciers are retreating globally at an unprecedented rate, with profound implications for sea-level rise and freshwater resources. Tajikistan, home to over 13,000 glaciers, plays a crucial role as the 'water tower' of Central Asia. Alarmingly, more than 1,000 of these glaciers have vanished in recent decades due to the impacts of climate change.”
The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2022 during its 77th session, following a resolution proposed by the Republic of Tajikistan and unanimously adopted by Member States. The initiative seeks to raise global awareness, advocate for policy change, and advance sustainable actions to preserve glaciers, which are critical to ecosystems, livelihoods, and water security worldwide.
"Glaciers are essential to our planet’s water cycles, sustaining ecosystems, communities, and economies. Their rapid retreat heightens our shared vulnerability to climate change. Protecting these vital natural reservoirs is not only an environmental necessity but also a humanitarian obligation, as billions depend on glacier-fed water systems for their survival,” said Prof. Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH. “We are grateful to the Government of Tajikistan for championing this important initiative and to H.E. Ambassador Hikmat for his insightful remarks—calling for innovation, collaboration, and decisive action to safeguard these critical lifelines for future generations."
IYGP 2025 will focus on fostering international collaboration, promoting research, improving access to data, and mitigating the impacts of glacier retreat caused by climate change. This initiative represents a vital effort to safeguard these invaluable natural resources for current and future generations.
“We have to remember that glaciers, ice, snow -- they are foundational to who we are in Canada. They connect people; they connect societies. They connect us to the natural environment, boosting our mental and physical health. And they support economic activities throughout our watersheds. The state of our glaciers, the imperative to act, and a different vision for the future has driven this grass roots response to the Glacier Year in Canada. Through the year, we will continue to bring attention to Canada, its cryosphere, and the researchers, artists, and organisations that make a difference,” said Dr. Schuster-Wallace, Executive Director of the Global Institute for Water Security.
The program continued on the evening of January 25, 2025, with a public event that included a keynote address by UNU-INWEH Director, Prof. Madani, followed by the viewing of video remarks by Ambassador Hikmat.
“Now that we are feeling the heat, we need to see the light. In this coming year, we will celebrate Canadian researchers and institutions studying snow and ice and honour writers, poets, artists and photographers working to help us understand what the loss of glacier ice means. We will also profile the knowledge and understanding of the land offered by Indigenous peoples and the intimate perspectives of mountain guides and backcountry dwellers who spend their lives on and near the ice. We also want to reach out intergenerationally to youth” said Robert Sandford, Senior Government Relations Liaison, Global Climate Emergency Response, UNU-INWEH.
As part of the celebrations, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Alberta, is presenting two photography exhibitions. These exhibitions were officially opened on January 24 and made available for public viewing on January 25.
MELTDOWN – A Drop in Time - In honour of the 2025 United Nations International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, MELTDOWN showcases a powerful collection of artworks focusing on glacial landscapes by Jim Elzinga, Roger Vernon, Tiffany Shaw, and Leanne Allison. This exhibition draws viewers deep into the heart of Canada’s glaciers for an unparalleled immersive experience. This exhibition marks the grand opening of Canada’s participation in the UN Glacier Year. Celebrate the grandeur and fragile beauty of the Columbia Icefield, the crowning glory of the Canadian Rockies.
Etched in Ice – Photographs by Glen Crawford, featured within the 2025 Exposure Photography Festival
These exhibitions vividly depict the fragile beauty of glaciers while highlighting their vulnerability and the pressing need for global action to combat climate change. Through the lens of art and photography, they underscore glaciers’ role as natural archives of Earth’s history and their alarming transformation. Both exhibitions will be open to the public at the Whyte Museum until April 13, 2025.
Media Contact
Sogol Jafarzadeh
UN and Government Relations Coordinator, UNU-INWEH
sogol.jafarzadeh@unu.edu
