It should be noted that in the course of advancing the global water agenda, the concept of water diplomacy was created and is being used by the international community, the main idea of which is the use of a new negotiating tool in order to find close positions to address issues related to water management.
Today, we can state that Tajikistan is the owner of five global practical initiatives, which are directly related to the fate of mankind, and practically no country remains neutral in their decision.
Based on the proposal of Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan at the 54th session (Oct. 1, 1999), the 55th session of the UN General Assembly, held on Sept. 20, 2000, declared 2003 the "International Year of Fresh Water." As a result of the implementation of this initiative, an international summit on fresh water was held in Dushanbe from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, 2003.
On Dec. 23, 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution based on the Dushanbe declaration and proclaimed 2005-2015 as the International Decade of Action "Water for Life." In addition, in 2013, the international community, through General Assembly resolution 67/204, proposed by Tajikistan, celebrated the "International Year of Water Cooperation."
The opening ceremony of the "International Year of Water Cooperation" was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 11 February 2013 with the active participation of a high-level delegation of the Republic of Tajikistan. Based on the proposal of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, on Dec. 21, 2016, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a relevant resolution, according to which the International Decade of Action "Water for Sustainable Development" was declared in 2018-2028.
This initiative was first presented to the international community by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on April 12, 2015 during the World Water Summit in Daegu city of the Republic of Korea.
Subsequently, as part of the implementation of this important initiative, in June 2018, the International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action "Water for Sustainable Development" 2018-2028 was held in Dushanbe with the participation of high-ranking representatives of UN member states and other international and regional organizations, during which discussed a range of important issues related to water resources.
Another historic event, which took place on Dec. 14, 2022, was the adoption, at the initiative of the Tajikistan President, during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, of a resolution declaring 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Preservation, and World Glacier Day on March 21.
This initiative was adopted with the support of 153 Member States of the United Nations, the International Glaciers Preservation Trust Fund coordinated by the UN was established and a high-level international conference on the preservation of glaciers was planned to be held in Dushanbe in 2025.
The constructive and timely initiative of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan will play a significant role in sustainable development and integrated water resources management, implementation of special sectoral projects and programs, strengthening cooperation for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals on water related issues.
Salohiddin Kirom is Tajikistan Ambassador to Korea. Views expressed in this article are his own. -- Ed.
