On 14 November 2022, within the framework of COP-27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, the Arab Republic of Egypt, a session was held on: “International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028 – a key platform for accelerating the achievement of the water-related Sustainable Development Goals”. The session was organized by the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Executive Committee of IFAS.
During the session, the opportunities provided by the International Decade for Action in addressing global water, ecological, and socio-economic issues were discussed. It was emphasized that the International Water Decade for Action provides a unique global platform to strengthen cooperation and partnerships at all levels to help achieve internationally agreed water goals and targets, including those in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The session participants also emphasized the leading role of Tajikistan in advancing the global water and climate agenda, including through the promotion of a new UN General Assembly resolution declaring 2025 as the International Year for Preservation of Glaciers. Particular emphasis was also placed on the UN 2023 Water Conference, which will be held under the co-chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in March 2023 in New York. It was noted that the Conference will be a watershed moment, which will be aimed at taking concrete action. In this direction, the efforts of Tajikistan and the Netherlands were especially emphasized.
The session was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Jamshed Shoimzoda, Sustainable Development Team Leader of the Office of the President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly Mr. Johannes Cullmann, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to the Water and Climate Coalition Leaders, Chairman of the Executive Committee of IFAS, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda, Special Envoy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for International Water Affairs Mr. Henk Ovink, Global Activist and Marathon Runner, Ms. Mina Guli, Representative of the UN Secretariat on Climate Change, Mr. Gajanana Hegde, Chief of hydrological systems and water scarcity section of the UNESCO, Climate Change and Adaptation, Dr. Anil Mishra, Representative of the 9th World Water Forum and the Republic of Senegal, Dr. Mohamed Diatta, youth representatives and others.
