Paris, June 5, 2024 – The activities of the Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre (CARGC), established in Almaty in 2020 under the auspices of UNESCO, were presented for the first time at the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme in Paris.

Speaking at the meeting of the UNESCO Water Family, Mr Takir Balykbayev, CARGC Director, familiarized the participants with the main directions of the Centre's activities, its human resources and material-technical base, and key scientific researches conducted by the Centre in the context of work on ensuring water security in the region and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He noted that the CARGC is the only glaciological research institute in UNESCO’s system, the relevance of which has increased remarkably in recent years due to the ongoing global climate change. The importance of preservation and constant replenishment of the unique database on glacier observation collected continuously since 1956 at three high-mountain stations of CARGC (Tuyuksu, Zhosaly Kezen and Big Almaty Lake) was also emphasized.

Representatives of category 2 centres under the auspices of the Organization and UNESCO Chairs in water-related issues from 18 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, as well as the leadership of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector participated in the meeting.

The event was held within the framework of the 26th session of the Council of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program of UNESCO (IHP). Kazakhstan is a member of the IHP Council for the period 2021-2025. The Kazakh delegation also included Alikhan Medeu, Chairperson of the IHP National Committee, Head of the Geospatial Economics Laboratory of the Institute of Geography and Water Security of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan.

On the margins of the session, the Kazakh delegation together with the Permanent Delegation of Kazakhstan to UNESCO held working meetings with the IHP Secretariat in order to discuss joint projects on glacier monitoring and research and the extension of the agreement on the CARGC with UNESCO.

The UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), founded in 1975, is the essential intergovernmental cooperation programme of the UN system dedicated to water research and management, and related education and capacity development.

https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa/press/region-news/details/19558