On October 26, 2022, in New York City, the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda, met with the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Secretary-General of the UN 2023 Water Conference, Mr. Li Junhua.
Sulton Rahimzoda congratulated Mr. Junhua on his appointment as Under-Secretary-General and wished him fruitful and successful work in this responsible job.
The parties discussed the past stages of the preparatory process and the next steps for the UN 2023 Water Conference. In this context, the importance of the coordinated work of the co-chairs of the Conference – Tajikistan and the Netherlands with UN DESA and the UN-Water was emphasized, which resulted in the active involvement of the UN Member States and other stakeholders in the preparatory process of the Conference and the agreement on the themes of the conference within the framework of the Meeting President of the UN General Assembly, held on 25 October 2022 at the UN Headquarters.
The Parties expressed their readiness to make every effort in order to make the UN 2023 Water Conference a watershed moment for the world through an inclusive cross-sectoral and action-oriented approach, as well as to stimulate innovative and transformative commitments and actions to achieve the SDG 6 and other international agreed water-related goals.
At the meeting, Sulton Rahimzoda also presented information on the progress of discussions on the draft resolution of the UN General Assembly on declaring 2025 as the International Year for the Preservation of Glaciers, initiated by Tajikistan, within the framework of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. Under-Secretary-General Mr. Junhua expressed support for this initiative and thanked the Tajik side for its active contribution in promoting water and climate issues on the global agenda.
