The Ambassador of Tajikistan to Turkey Ashrafjon Gulov spoke about the global initiatives of President Emomali Rahmon in the water sector and the Dushanbe Second Water Conference, which took place from June 6 through June 9 during his interview with the TRT AVAZ TV.

«Water shortage is one of the most important problems in the modern world. Given the importance of the issue, President Rahmon has been considering this issue at the UN level since 2001 and proposed world-class initiatives in this direction, which were recognized by the UN.

The Second High-Level International Conference will serve as the basis for holding the UN Water Conference in 2023, co-chaired by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.

Tajikistan’s proposal on the issue of holding the Water Conference as part of the UN was supported by 177 countries. Of course, it is necessary to raise the issue of rational use of water, since water is an invaluable resource and life cannot exist without it,» he said.

«We know that most of the world’s crises are due to water shortages. It is expected that in 2023, at the Water Conference organized by the UN, appropriate decisions will be made in this direction.

Tajikistan has huge water resources in Central Asia. About 60% of Central Asia’s water comes from Tajikistan. We see that many countries of the world suffer from water shortages. Climate change is also exacerbating water scarcity. Over the past 30 years in Tajikistan, we have lost 1,000 of 14,000 glaciers. Experts estimate that by 2050 the world’s population will reach 10 billion people, and about 5 billion of them are likely to face water shortages,» he noted.