World Day of Glaciers

As part of the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025, a joint celebration of the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day will be organized to highlight the interconnected challenges of water availability and climate change. This combined event will serve as a platform for dialogue and action regarding the state of the world's glaciers and the impacts of the melting cryosphere on global water availability, food, and energy security. The 2025 global campaign for the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day will underscore the impacts of glacier changes on people living in mountainous regions and downstream communities, ecosystems, and particularly vulnerable groups, including the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), emphasizing the urgency of water-related adaptation strategies. The event will bring together leaders, policymakers, scientists, and civil society to address glacier preservation and water availability. They aim to raise awareness of glaciers' ...

The glaciers are melting rapidly due to the climate crisis, leading to worsening water scarcity, rising sea levels and higher risks of natural disasters. On March 21st , World Day of Glaciers and every day, let's highlight the urgent action needed to protect these vital ecosystems for a healthy, sustainable planet.

The joint celebration of the World Day for Glacier s and World Water Day holds even greater significance within the broader context of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034) . The high-level event taking place 20-21 March 2025 in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris will include a brainstorming session to lay the groundwork for this upcoming Decade of Action. In August 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution to declare the period from 2025 to 2034 as the "Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences". Championed by the Republic of France and the Republic of Tajikistan, and supported by a coalition of nations, this initiative underscores the urgent need for international scientific collaboration to mitigate the far-reaching effects of cryospheric changes on ecosystems, water security, and global climate stability. A dedicated brainstorming session during the March 2025 celebrations in Paris will convene policymakers, scientists, and civil s...

Within the framework of the International Year of Glacier Conservation this 2025, a demonstration of the work carried out by INAIGEM and its allies in monitoring glaciers will be carried out in Llaca, located in the Huascarán National Park (Huaraz, Peru). Subsequently, there will be a panel of experiences where destination actors and local authorities will highlight the changes that glaciers are undergoing . The objective is to raise public awareness about the fundamental role of glaciers, snow and ice in the climate system and the hydrological cycle , and to alert on the economic, social and environmental repercussions of imminent changes on the planet . The United Nations declared 2025 as International Year of Glacier Conservation , accompanied by the proclamation of March 21st of each year as World Day of Glaciers beginning in 2025.

Chile will commemorate National Glacier Day on Friday, 21 March, as part of the International Year for Glacier Conservation declared by the UN for 2025. This event , supported by UNESCO, aims to raise awareness of the importance of protecting these ice masses. The day will begin with an opening ceremony at the La Moneda Cultural Centre, led by the Minister for the Environment, Maisa Rojas, alongside UNESCO representatives. This will be followed by an expert panel, moderated by the Chilean Glaciers Foundation, which will discuss the significance of glaciers and the challenges involved in their study and conservation. The panel will feature Alexis Segovia Rocha (glaciologist and academic at the University of Chile), Marc Turrel (historian specialising in the human relationship with glaciers), Cecilia Vicuña (artist and winner of the 2023 National Visual Arts Award), Bárbara Hernández (cold-water swimmer), and Alfonso de Urresti (Senator of the Republic). The event will conclude at L...

  Facts & Figures

Facts & Figures  Why the glaciers are disappearing?

  Facts & Figures.

Facts & Figures.  

Everyone – from governments and organizations to local communities worldwide – are called upon to strengthen their commitment to climate action . Through enhanced cooperation and evidence-based policies , we can work together to preserve these essential natural resources that are vital for sustainable development and water security worldwide. Looking beyond glaciers to understand mountain water security.

Glaciers are vital guardians of our planet's climate system , shaping landscapes and preserving crucial records of Earth's environmental history . Glaciers and snowpack are of greatest importance to water resources and mountain ecosystems at different time scales, and they act as essential components of the global water cycle, also known as ‘water towers’, providing freshwater resources and helping regulate global sea levels. However, these ice formations face unprecedented challenges from climate change . Accelerated glacier retreat threatens water security , increases risks of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) , and ecosystems disruption  worldwide. The impacts affect agriculture, hydropower generation, and mountain communities globally.

The first-ever World Day for Glaciers , to be celebrated on March 21st , urges global action to protect glaciers and their crucial role in sustaining life on Earth for future generations. With over 2 billion people relying on glacier and snowmelt for freshwater —and projections showing that one-third of glacier sites could disappear by 2050 — raising awareness and taking action to protect these vital ecosystems has never been more urgent .

  For the celebration of the first World Day for Glaciers and the pivot event of the World Water Day, a high-level event will take place on 21 March 2025 in the UN Headquarters in New York. The 2025 global campaign for the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day , will highlight the various impacts of glacier changes on downstream communities and ecosystems, and will showcase the need for developing water-related adaptation strategies .  When: 21 march 2025, Time: 15:00 - 18:00 (Europe/Zurich)