Participation of the Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in a high-level side event on the topic "Implementation of early warning systems for everyone in the world about growing risks associated with water" on the sidelines of the UN Water Conference-2023                     

On March 23, 2023, the Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sheralizoda Bahodur, took part in the high-level side event "Introducing early warning systems for everyone in the world with increasing risks associated with water resources" and delivered a speech. The event was organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in cooperation with the governments of Arab Egypt, Tajikistan, Japan, and the United States and was held as part of the Water UN Conference 2023.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Committee noted that Tajikistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change, the country's glaciers are rapidly melting every year, and therefore water resources are reduced. It was emphasized that the annual floods and other natural disasters cause great damage to the economy of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Sheralizoda Bahodur noted that more than 80 percent of natural disasters in Tajikistan are related to climate change. Over the past 20 years, there have been over 4,000 natural disasters, with an average of 1 natural disaster occurring every 2 days. It was also noted that according to the World Bank reports, the economic damage from natural disasters affecting the road network in Tajikistan is about 45 million US dollars per year.

It is worth noting that the UN member states and structures, together with international organizations, stakeholders and the private sector, presented their commitments to prepare for and reduce the consequences of climate change and natural disasters and resilience.