On May 13, 2022, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharaf Sheralizoda chaired an organizational meeting of the Working Group on Global Water Marathon in the framework of the Second International High-Level Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” on the topic “Catalyzing water action and partnership at the local, national, regional and global levels”, that has been scheduled to take place on June 6-9, 2022 in Dushanbe.

The meeting was attended by administration representatives of line ministries, cities and regions of the country.

Participants exchanged views on the preparation process for the marathon and its routes in Tajikistan in accordance with the instructions of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Second Dushanbe Water Conference, as well as discussed other related issues.

The Global Water Marathon started on World Water Day, March 22, 2022, and will run until March 22, 2023, the date of the UN Water Conference in New York. The Marathon in Tajikistan and Central Asia will be held from May through June along the route from the Aral Sea to the Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan and will end in Dushanbe on the eve of the Second Dushanbe Conference.

The purpose of the marathon is to contribute to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the International Decade for Action «Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028» and to draw the attention of the international community to the growing problems of water and climate, as well as to the 2023 UN Water Conference.