The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Starting from 2025, March 21 is recognised as the World Day for Glaciers. And in an exciting new development, the UIAA is partnering with Lenovo for its IMD activities.
As part of its work in mountain protection and in the field of climate change, the UIAA has committed to playing an active role throughout activities in 2025. The UN-declared International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP) provides an excellent opportunity for the UIAA to put words into action. The global initiative aims at raising awareness about the critical role of glaciers, snow and ice. Through its activities, the UIAA unquestionably has an impact and is impacted by glaciers, which it would like to honour through giving glaciers a voice throughout 2025. A dedicated working group within the UIAA Mountain Protection Commission has been created. In collaboration with UNESCO World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves and Mountain Partnership, the UIAA is preparing a number of engagement opportunities and member federations as well as glacier lovers are invited to join activities and celebrate IYGP jointly.
Both events (the dedicated activities in 2025 and the annual ‘World Day’) 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.
During 2025, many international, but also national events will address the role of glaciers in the global system.
The UIAA’s activities officially commence on International Mountain Day 2024 with the release of the first of its 12 case studies dedicated to glacier preservation. These stories will be distributed weekly from January to March across the UIAA social media channels and focus on the plight of glaciers in different areas of the world and from the perspective of a range of individuals – photographers, mountain guides, geologists, climbers and mountaineers and glacier experts. On 21 March, a summary of these stories will be released on the UIAA website. Furthermore, a dedicated episode of the UIAA podcast Mountain Voices will focus on glaciers and feature contributions from a number of experts. This will be released in the first quarter of 2025.
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The UIAA Mountain Protection Commission is further committed to publishing a Glacier Manifesto in the course of next year and will be reaching out to various stakeholders within and outside the UIAA to get involved.
“Glaciers are fundamental in the life network in all mountain regions; their invaluable ecosystem services make possible all life forms downstream. For us, glaciers represent the wild beauty of high mountains that have been an inspiration for generations; for us, glaciers are a reminder of the last glaciations that shaped all the valleys where we settle. Glaciers mean history, culture, and home. As the mountaineering and climbing community, we are in the frontline of its rapid change due to current climatic conditions. That’s why we are taking decisive action to celebrate and remember the importance of glaciers for all humankind in this International Year of Glacier’s Preservation.”
Fernando Iglesias Letelier, UIAA IYGP Working Group
The UN will provide here an overview of events and activities, relevant for international and national glacier monitoring, glacier changes and related impacts:
- Dedicated UN website for 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
- Glacier Casualty List Project
- WGMS @ COP29 (virtually): From Global Glacier Monitoring to the Global Glacier Casualty List
- 2025, September 14-18: International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, Austria where the UIAA is intending to host a session
To mark IMD 2024, the UIAA has also released its 2023 Carbon Footprint Report (its sixth since the inaugural submission in 2018) and recently published its Sustainability Charter. The UIAA believes that climbers and mountaineers can best meet their environmental responsibilities and help safeguard mountain regions and their local communities through actions that include (self) awareness, planning and implementing practical measures, advocacy, and the regular exchange of experiences. However, there are potentially numerous and diverse sustainability objectives to consider, many of which overlap. Therefore, addressing them requires simple and practical actions that serve multiple benefits and are adequately adapted to the specific context. The Sustainability Charter serves as guidance for this.
Furthermore, the UIAA’s flagship project in sustainability, the Mountain Protection Award returns for its 11th edition in 2025. The now biennial Award returns with a number of exciting new developments including the partnership with tech giants Lenovo. Further details on the 2025 MPA will be communicated in due course. Application opens on 1 March.
