During a high-level dialogue on "Advancing the Mountain Agenda, Common Trends and Climate Change" at the Leaders Summit at COP29 in Baku, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov called on the international community to increase support for mountain countries.
According to Report, the event was organized by Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia.
The President noted that in the context of climate change, mountain region inhabitants face extreme natural conditions, natural disasters, low agricultural land productivity, communication isolation, and limited access to social and economic services, which hinders their development and leads to increased poverty.
"Today, climate change particularly negatively affects our glaciers, water resources, agriculture, and overall human life. Kyrgyzstan's glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate: over the past 50-70 years, their area has decreased by 1,262 square meters, or 16% of the total area. If this trend continues, a significant portion of glaciers may disappear by the end of the century. This is not just statistics, but a direct threat to the life and well-being of millions of people who depend on glaciers as a source of fresh water," Japarov stated.
He called for joining the Declaration on Climate Change, Mountains and Glaciers, which is a political document to draw global attention to mountain and glacier issues.
"It is necessary to change the global perspective on mountain problems and their ecological significance, to conduct further in-depth research on climate change impacts on mountain ecosystems, including through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change," he said.
The head of state announced that Kyrgyzstan proposed to include an annual expert dialogue on mountains and climate in the COP29 agenda.
"We also call on countries to join the Mountain Partnership negotiating group, which will serve as a strong and united voice for mountain countries and communities. Paying great attention to international cooperation on sustainable mountain development, Kyrgyzstan is also promoting the mountain agenda at the global level," Japarov said.