Deputy Secretary General,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the organizers of this high-level meeting.

This year, our countries are on the verge of a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024.

Therefore, this year is an important milestone for us.

We believe that the comprehensive review during the Third Conference of the United Nations (2024) will provide a good opportunity to address the needs of developing countries and raise international support.

The targeted utilization of the transit potential of landlocked countries is also essential for faster access to sustainable development goals.

It is worth mentioning the use of regional transport and transit corridors that meet the requirements of the Vienna Programme of Action.

We are therefore committed to the provisions and recommendations of the Vienna Programme of Action to strengthen its linkages with the development of transport and energy infrastructure and to promote subregional and regional trade.

Distinguished Colleagues,

Tajikistan identifies the energy sector as one of its strategic priorities.

Hydropower plants, which produce 98 percent of Tajikistan's electricity, are considered the main source of "green energy" in the country.

The Government of Tajikistan is taking comprehensive measures to balance the production and consumption of electricity by renewing and increasing the capacity of existing power plants.

Tajikistan supports the integration of "green economy" approaches.  

For this purpose we have adopted the "Green Economy Strategy Development in Tajikistan for 2023-2027".

We aknowledge that increasing the share of renewable energy in landlocked developing countries requires increased investment from developed countries.

Dear participants of the meeting,

Desertification, drought, land degradation and other environmental disasters have intensified in recent years due to the increasing negative effects of climate change.

To avoid these processes, we need to take joint and concerted action.

Water issues are particularly important in vulnerable countries, including landlocked countries.

Only one-third of the population of these countries are provided with safe drinking water.

As is generally known, Tajikistan is an initiator of water resolutions of the UN General Assembly and effectively cooperates with all international partners on this agenda.

One of such initiatives is the Resolution on declaring 2018-2028 as the International Decade of Action "Water for Sustainable Development", which is currently being implemented.

In our opinion, implementation of the goals of this Decade as well as the Water Action Program, which was adopted as a result of the historic UN Water Conference this March, will facilitate timely implementation of the SDG 6 in landlocked countries.

During the UN Water Conference we proposed to host the final Conference of the Decade of Action to be held in Tajikistan in 2028.

We are pleased to note that this initiative of our country has been accepted and supported by the international community.

Distinguished gathering,

We once again emphasize that climate change is one of the most worrying threats of our time.

The impact of the negative consequences of this process creates a serious obstacle to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in different countries, including Tajikistan.

As a result of climate change, one thousand glaciers out of 13,000 in Tajikistan have melted in recent decades.

This phenomenon is the cause of natural disasters such as landslides, floods, droughts and result in enormous damage to the socio-economic sectors of the country.

This process will negatively affect food security, access to water, undermining agricultural development and ecosystems in Central Asia in the future.

I particularly highlight the importance of the UNGA resolution which declares 2025 as the "International Year of Glacier Preservation", that has been adopted by the initiative of the Republic of Tajikistan.

We express our readiness to establish cooperation with the international community under newly established Group of “Friends of the Glaciers" and other interested parties (stakeholders) in order to implement the provisions of this resolution.

Tajikistan is confident that this initiative will give a serious impetus to take bold steps forward collectively and protect glaciers from rapid melting.

I take this opportunity and invite the distinguished guests to take an active part in the upcoming Water Conference in Dushanbe.

Thank you for your attention.