High Level Curtain Raiser on the Launch of the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025 (IYGP 2025)

The Launch event kicks off the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025; the specific objectives of the launch event are to raise awareness, stimulate action, and attract funding. Expected participants include the scientific community, cryo/glacier data centers, learned societies, policymakers, and funders, among many others.

The event will take place in Salle Obasi at WMO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and will also be live-streamed. Simultaneous interpretation will be available in all six official United Nations languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

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AGENDA

14:00 - 14:20

Welcome by the Master of Ceremony – Professor Stefan Uhlenbrook (WMO)

Opening remarks (3 x 5 min/speaker)

Dr. Ko Barrett, WMO Deputy Secretary-General
Dr. Lidia Arthur Brito, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences
H. E. Mr. Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chair of the Committee of Environmental Protection, Tajikistan

14:20 - 14:50

IYGP 2025 Vision: Challenges and Opportunities by the Co-chairs of the Advisory Board – 12 min

Dr. Carolina Adler (Mountain Research Initiative -MRI, Switzerland)
Professor John Pomeroy (University of Saskatchewan-USask, Canada) *online

Updates on IYGP 2025 Task Forces (4 x 4 min/speaker) – 16 min

TF-1: Global Campaign for International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025 (Lead: FAO Mountain Partnership Secretariat) - Ms. Sara Manuelli
TF-2: International Conference on Glaciers' Preservation, Regional Workshops and Capacity Building (Lead: ICIMOD-International Center for Integrated Mountain Development) - Dr. Neera Pradhan *online
TF-3: Research and Monitoring Initiatives (Lead: University of Chile in Santiago) - Dr. James Peter Mc Phee Torres *online
TF-4: Policy Advocacy, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization (Lead: ICCI- International Cryosphere Climate Initiative) - Ms. Pam Pearson

14:50 - 15:05

Interventions from the floor on the IYGP 2025

15:05 - 15:30

Panel discussion (6x4 minutes/speaker) ignite talks by each panelist followed by moderated discussion with Q&A at the end. We aim for a diverse, multi-stakeholder panel.

Moderated by Ms. Rodica Nitu, Secretary of WMO PHORS

Data and Monitoring (Dr. Michael Zemp, World Glacier Monitoring Service)
Impacts on the Society (Dr. Neera Pradhan, ICIMOD) *online
Finance (Ms. Maria Dimitriadou, World Bank)
Finance (Ms. Yasmin Siddiqi, Asian Development Bank)
NGO (Dr. Jérôme Chappellaz, Ice Memory Foundation)
Disasters Risk and impacts (Ms. Jenty Kirsch-Wood, UNDRR)

15:30 - 15:55

Country Stakeholder Voices – Interventions, Commitments, Q&A with panelists and presenters

15:55 - 16:00

Closing – Dr. Koen Verbist (UNESCO)