The One Planet Polar Summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, raised urgent concerns about the rapid melting of glaciers and ice and its far-reaching impact on the planet and all living beings. The Kyrgyz Republic President, Sadyr Japarov, delivered a speech at the One Planet Summit in Paris on November 10.
Dear President of the Republic of France
Mr. Emmanuel Macron,
Dear Heads of State and Government,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today I will discuss with you the most important and urgent problems of our time. one –
I am glad to meet at the international forum dedicated to the preservation of the fragile ecosystem of our planet.
At the very beginning, I would like to point out the following.
The theme of our summit – “One Planet” – is very symbolic.
Our peoples and nations are separated by difficult terrains and borders that cross geographical barriers.
As you know, our planet is divided by four oceans.
We can talk about the fifth ocean – the air space that holds all life on Earth.
We all breathe the same air, which has no boundaries and no barriers.
It also means that we are all connected through our fates and concerns, hopes and desires.
The world has now reached a dangerous point, and we must not limit ourselves to empty slogans or generalizations.
Dear friends, I would like to emphasize the need to take joint measures without delay.
We must not allow anything to change and business as usual to remain unresolved after today’s summit.
We must show it in action, not just in words.
Dear participants,
Global climate change is becoming a serious threat to humanity every year.
Of particular concern is the negative impact of climate change on the cryosphere.
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country with favorable climatic conditions for the formation of glaciers, mountains occupy 94 percent of the country’s territory.
During the last 70 years, the area of glaciers in Kyrgyzstan has decreased by 16 percent.
By the end of the century, we may have lost more than 80 percent of our glaciers, and the size of the largest glaciers has shrunk even further due to the fragmentation of large ones.
Our glaciers are an important source of fresh water not only for our country, but for the entire Central Asian region, especially during droughts.
Their dissolution has a direct impact on the life and activities of the population of the entire region.
It is important to understand that climate change in mountainous conditions has altitudinal characteristics.
The Kyrgyz Republic did not remain inactive in the face of these challenges.
We are actively implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop renewable energy sources.
We are working to reduce anthropogenic impact on water resources, improve water supply systems and ensure access to clean water for the country’s population.
An important part of our strategy is to create national parks and reserves to protect vulnerable ecosystems and preserve our glaciers.
We also invest in scientific research and collaborate with international organizations to develop effective climate change adaptation strategies.
In January 2022, in order to protect mountain ecosystems and climate stability, the national campaign “Green Heritage” was launched in Kyrgyzstan on my initiative.
This year, we also launched an initiative to support the mechanism of restructuring the state external debt, including replacing it with projects in the “green” economy.
As options, I believe that instead of projects for the development of the “green” economy in our country, it is necessary to include mechanisms for partial debt cancellation or conversion into grants.
Dear friends,
Among the international environmental initiatives and activities of the Kyrgyz Republic, I would like to note the following:
- joining the “Group of Friends of the Cryosphere” initiative,
- holding international forums on the conservation of the white leopard and its ecosystems;
- Creating an informal “Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries” at the United Nations;
- adoption of resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly on sustainable development of mountains and preservation of biological diversity.
As it is known, in 2022, on the initiative of our country and Italy, the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly “Development of sustainable mountains” was adopted unanimously.
In this document, we declared “2023-2027 as five years of development of mountainous regions”.
In order to effectively protect mountain ecosystems and glaciers, a Global Action Plan was developed with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations agencies and the Mountain Partnership of other international organizations. As the final stage of the “Mountain Five Years”, we are planning to hold the Second Global Mountain Summit “Bishkek + 25” in Kyrgyzstan in 2027, 25 years after the first Summit.
I invite you all to come and participate.
Dear participants of the Summit,
In concluding my speech, I would like to express my full support for the political declaration that we will adopt today.
This initiative will be important in mobilizing the international community to increase information and research on the problem of melting glaciers and to develop new collaborative practical solutions.
I propose to combine our efforts to find ways to save glaciers and cooperate in protecting the zone where water resources are formed.
I believe that it is necessary to review and significantly increase the level of funding that meets the real needs of countries affected by climate change.
I believe that only through the timely response of the international community and joint systematic actions will we be able to successfully overcome this global challenge facing us today.
Thank you for your attention.