international year…

… of glaciers’ preservation 2025

https://www.un-glaciers.org/

The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Additionally, starting from 2025, March 21 is recognized as the World Day for Glaciers.

Both events aim to raise global awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow and ice in the climate system. They aim to draw attention to the effects of changes in the Earth’s cryosphere on sea-level rise, the hydrological cycle, geohazards, and related impacts on our economy and society. These events also aim to encourage the exchange of data, knowledge, and best practices regarding glacier preservation and adaptation strategies.

The International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 and World Day for Glaciers were proposed by Tajikistan, adopted by a UN General Assembly resolution inviting UNESCO and WMO, in cooperation with UN Member States and relevant organizations such as the WGMS, to facilitate their implementation.

Milestones

Dushanbe Glacier Declaration (adopted in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 31 May 2025)

Events

During 2025, many international, but also national events will address the role of glaciers in the global system. We will provide here an overview of events and activities, relevant for international and national glacier monitoring, glacier changes and related impacts.

Official launch event (21.1.2025) in Geneva, Switzerland, hybrid (infos, links)

  • “The Cryosphere in Central Asia”, 9-10.30 CET, online (zoom link)

World Day for Glaciers & World Water Day 2025 celebration (21.3.2025) UNESCO, Paris, France, 9-19 CET, on site

WGMS national events on World Day for Glaciers (21.3.2025):

  • Swiss Glaciers in a Changing Climate (GLAMOS, Jungfraujoch; Switzerland): press conference 11:00-12:00 CET, hybrid (contact: marcel.falk@scnat.ch)
  • The Transformation of the Calderone Glacier: Challenges from Recent Monitoring Efforts (Univerisity of L’Aquila, L’Aquila; Italy): workshop, on site
  • Commemoration of the glaciers of Colombia (Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, National Natural Parks of Colombia & Ideam, Colombia): seminar 8-12 local time
  • Journée Internationale de la préservation des glaciers (Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, Grenoble; France): press conference, seminar, excursion (3 days)
  • Den internasjonale Bredagen og Verdens vanndag (Klimahuset, University of Oslo; Norway): seminar 9-16 CET, hybrid (event website)
  • 21 Marzo – Giornata Mondiale dei Ghiacciai (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Roma; Italy): workshop 9-18 CET, hybrid (event website)
  • Dagur Jökla (Day of the glaciers) (Reykjavik; Iceland): workshop/excursion 14-16.30 local time (facebook)
  • Glaciares y su entorno: estado actual. Día mundial de los glaciares. (Instituto de Geofísica, UNAM, Mexico): seminar 9-18 local time (event website)
  • 21. März – Tag der Gletscher (MMM Firmian; Italy): Vernissage & symposium 14-17 local time (event website)
  • Rastros de Hielo: Glaciares de Ayer y de Hoy (Universidad de Oviedo at San Juan de la Arena, Asturias, Spain): presentation of IYGP aims and set of outreach lectures, 16:30-19:00 CET (poster)
  • High Mountain Asia glacier monitoring (Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany): workshop, open discussion, 18-20 local time
  • Glacier Day (Vetenskapens hus, Stockholm, Sweden): workshop, hybrid 13-16 local time (link)
  • Glaciers in a changing World (Tarfala Research Station, Sweden): seminar 13-15 local time
  • Día de los Glaciares (Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile): seminar 9:30-12:10.
  • Glacier evolution by remote sensing: photo exhibition (Facultad de
    Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de León, Spain): 9-14 local time
  • “Secret of the ice” (cinema VOX Chamonix, France): movie on story of ice core and Claude Lorius, with Luc Moreau for comments
  • Was bleibt vom ewigen Eis? Status und Zukunft der Gletscher der Welt (Festsaal Meerscheinschlössel, Mozartgasse 3, 8010 Graz, Austria): presentations and discussion 16:00 local time
  • Regional side event of the Save the Glacier water resources in Mongolian Altai mountain (Western Regional branch of the National University of Mongolia and WWF Mongolia, Khovd city, Mongolia): exhibition & workshop, 9-18 local time
  • Salvemos nuestros glaciares (Ateneo de Madrid, Red de Escuelas Asociadas UNESCO, Spain): seminar,  11-11:30 local time
  • Ghiacciai 2025 – Anno Internazionale per la Conservazione dei Ghiacciai (Forte di Bard, Aosta Valley, Italy), seminars, 9:30-16 local time

Other events related to the IYGP:

    • WGMS @ COP29 (virtually, 21.11.24): From Global Glacier Monitoring to the Global Glacier Casualty List
    • 2025, January 15: IGS/IACS Seminar on the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
    • 2025, January 21: Jökla-samkeppni barna og ungmenna (Youth glacier competition), United Nations Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland (link)
    • 2025, February 10, 11-16: Alpine glacier session at Snow and Ice Research Group Meeting, workshop, Wellington, New Zealand
    • 2025, February 27/28: 28th Alpine Glaciology Meeting, Innsbruck, Austria
    • 2025, March 7, 10-11: Neuigkeiten aus der Eiswelt Österreichs: Aktueller Zustand und Langzeitentwicklung im Rahmen des “International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation”, press conference (hybrid), Österreichischer Alpenverein, Innsbruck, Austria
    • 2025, March 16-18: Glacier Conservation in China, Seminar & media event, Dagu Glacier Management Bureau, Chengdu, China
    • 2025, March 17,  10:45-14 local time: Polar Day 2025, lecture, Polar Research Center, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland
    • 2025, March 19, 10-13 local time: O wodzie, lodzie i pogodzie, interactive lecture, University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland
    • 2025, March 20: Melting Himalayan Cryosphere and its implications: celebrations of the 1st World Day for Glaciers in Kashmir, India, seminar & panel (online); Islamic University of Science and Technology, Kashmir, India
    • 2025, March 20: ice matters /Ferner, Galtür, Austria
    • 2025, March 20-22: Agir pour les glacier festival, Bourg Saint Maurice-Les Arcs, France
    • 2025, March 22 14 local time: “Montagnes et Sciences” (movie and discussion round) Chamonix, France
    • 2025, March 23 15:00: Kindervorlesung “Eisiges Geheimnis“, Kindermuseum Wien, Austria
    • 2025, July 11, 13:45-15:15: (Un-)Sichtbare Gletscher. Gletscherbilder als Fenster zur Vergangenheit und Zukunft für die Klima- und Tourismusgeschichte, seminar, University of Lucerne, Switzerland
    • 2025, July 23, 14.30-16.30 (KST): IACS (International Association of Cryospheric Sciences) Special session celebrating the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, BACO25, Busan, Republic of Korea
    • 2025, September 14-18: International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, Austria
    • 2025/07/05 – 2026/06/14: Exhibition of “Un suono in estinzione ascolta la voce del ghiacciaio 2025“, Museum of Trento (MUSE), Italy

If you are also organizing a related event and want to have it listed, please register here.

Other activities:

The IYGP also marks the opening of the UN Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025-2034!

 

 

 

 

last change 29/09/2025