World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2026 | International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation

World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2026 | International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
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World Day for Glaciers - 21 March
18-19 March 2026 Paris
20-21 March 2025 Paris
21 March 2025 New York
@ Shutterstock / Mumemories
World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2026
UNESCO, WMO and the IYGP Community will celebrate the World Day for Glaciers and the World Water Day at UNESCO's Headquarters in Paris on 18-19 March 2026, closing the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation 2025 and launching the new Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences with dedicated sessions and side events highlighting the vital links between cryosphere, water and gender equality.
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Get involved in the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025-2034
Main Event on 18 March 2026 (Draft agenda)
Side-Events on 19 March 2026 (Draft agenda)
Artistic Performances
Exhibitions
Community Events
Virtual Side-Events
Background
The cryosphere, including glaciers, ice sheets, permafrost, sea ice and snow, stores around 70% of Earth’s freshwater, yet it is shrinking fast. Glaciers are losing mass every year; Arctic sea ice has declined by about 40% since 1979; and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting at accelerating rates, with long-term implications for sea level rise. Cryosphere loss already affects water security, ecosystems, infrastructure and disaster risk worldwide.
In response, the United Nations designated 21 March as World Day for Glaciers and proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP 2025), led by
UNESCO
and
World Meteorological Organization
. The UN also declared 2025–2034 the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences, led by UNESCO, to strengthen research, monitoring, education and policy action on cryospheric change. In addition, 22 March 2026 marks World Water Day, with a focus on water, women and gender equality.
The 2026 celebrations at UNESCO Headquarters will close the IYGP 2025, present its outcomes, and introduce the first governance and action architecture of the Decade, alongside World Water Day high-level sessions and partner-led side events.
Thank you for your participation
We sincerely thank you for your valuable contributions to the celebrations of the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2026 at UNESCO. Photos from the event are now available for viewing.
Access the album of the 18 March 2026 (Main Event)
Access the album of the 19 March 2026 (Side Events)
Get involved in the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025-2034
Join the Working Groups of the Decade
Deadline: 31 March 2026
Synthesis of the Decade
Outcome of the 2025 consultations
Main Event on 18 March 2026 (Draft agenda)
High-Level Celebrations of the World Day for Glaciers and World Water Day 2026
Date:
18 March 2026
Location:
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - Room I
08:30 - 09:30
Registration and Welcome Coffee
09:40 - 10:00
"Music Sings for the World’s Glaciers"
Musical opening of the World Day for Glaciers by the laureates of the Gautier Capuçon Foundation.
10:00 - 10:50
High-Level Opening Plenary of the World Day for Glaciers 2026
Moderator:
Ms Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, UNESCO
Opening Remarks:
Professor Khaled El-Enany, Director-General, UNESCO
Opening Statements:
H.E. Mr Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Ambassador, Special Envoy of the President for the Poles and the Ocean, French Republic
H.E. Mr. Jamshed Homidzoda, Ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to France
H.E. Ms Xinyu Yang, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the People's Republic of China to UNESCO
H.E. Mr Liborio Stellino, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Italy to UNESCO
H.E. Mr Pierre Faye, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Senegal to UNESCO
H.E. Mr Benedikt Wechsler, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Swiss Confederation to UNESCO
H.E. Ms Anna Nsubuga, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to UNESCO
11:00-12:30
High-Level Panel Session
Closing of the  International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 (IYGP)
Moderators and Keynote:
Ms Carolina Adler and Mr John Pomeroy, Co-Chairs of the Advisory Board of the IYGP2025
Presentations and Roundtable:
Ms Sara Manuelli, Mountain Partnership Secretariat at FAO, lead of the Task Force 1: Global Campaign for IYPG2025
Ms Neera Shrestha Pradhan, ICIMOD, lead of the Task Force 2: International Conferences, Regional Workshops, and Capacity Building
Mr James McPhee, University of Chile in Santiago, lead of the Task Force 3: Research and Monitoring Initiative
Ms Pam Pearson, ICCI, Lead of Task Force 4: Policy Advocacy, Partnerships, and Resources Mobilization
Mr Koen Verbist, Programme Specialist, UNESCO
Ms Sulagna Mishra, Scientific Officer, WMO
Ms Zoë Johnson, PhD student at t
he
University of Saskatchewan
Q&A Session
12:30-13:00
Handover Ceremony from the Year to the Decade
Moderator:
Mr Abou Amani, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme of UNESCO
Keynote on the Decade:
Mr John Pomeroy, Chair of the Ad Hoc Management Committee of the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025-2034
Intervention on the synergies between the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences and International Polar Year 2032-2033
from Ms Narelle van der Wel, Head, Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services Unit, WMO
13:00-14:30
Lunch Break
14:30 - 15:30
High-Level Panel Session
The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences 2025-2034
Moderator:
Mr Anil Mishra (UNESCO)
Presentation:
Towards the Implementation of the Decade
Panelists:
Mr Yao Tandong, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Science
Ms Heidi Sevestre, Glaciologist and science communicator, Secretariat of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).
Mr Qianggong Zhang, Senior Climate Change and Environment Specialist, and Head of the Climate and Environmental Risks Unit at ICIMOD
Ms Maria Grigoratou, Executive Secretary of the European Polar Board
Mr Michael Zemp, Director of the World Glacier Monitoring Service, University of Zurich
Ms Pam Pearson, Director, International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
Mr John Pomeroy, UNESCO Chair
in Water Resources and Climate Change
Ms Salomé Mormentyn, Polar Initiative Manager, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
15:30-15:50
Coffee Break
15:50 - 16:50
Panel Session
Cryosphere loss and its consequences for Water resources
Moderator:
Mr Jeremy Ely, University of Sheffield
Panelists:
Mr Kaveh Madani, Director, Institute for Water, Environment and Health, United Nations University (UNU)
Ms. Helena Thybell, Executive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Ms Liss M. Andreassen, Immediate Past President of the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences
Mr Bapon Fakhruddin, Water Resources Management Senior Specialist, Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Ms. Lynda Brown, Inuit Cultural Educator, Canada
Mr. Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Icelandic Meteorological Office
Ms Grace Goodfellow, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists
16:50 - 17:30
World Water Day 2026 Celebrations
Moderator:
Mr Abou Amani, Directo and Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme of UNESCO
Announcement
of the United Nations 2026 World Water Development Report 2026
Ms Cristiane Battiston, IHP Chair
Mr Alessandro Garbellini, Head of Office of Space, Multilateral Scientific Cooperation and Intellectual Property, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Italy
Mr Miguel Doria, Coordinator and Director of the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)
Announcement of 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate
Ms Anna Hadenius, CEO of Stockholm Water Foundation
Ms Ellen Moons, Permanent Secretary at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Video)
Acceptance message, Laureate
Closing remarks:
Ms Lidia Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, UNESCO
17h30 - 17h45
Resonances: Music for a changing planet
Pilar Peña Queralt, pianist supported by the Fundación Glaciares Chilenos
Music by Claude Debussy, Yoseline Gonzales and Cristina Catalán
18:15 - 20:15
Upon invitation only
Reception organized by the Permanent Delegation of Canada
At UNESCO Restaurant, 7th Floor
Side-Events on 19 March 2026 (Draft agenda)
World Day for Glaciers & World Water Day 2026 Side-Events
Date:
18 March 2026
Location:
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - Rooms II, VI, VII, IX, XI, Cinema
09:00 - 10:30
Parallel Side-Events n°1
Room IX
Side-Event 01 - Tears of the Glacier
Room VII
Side-Event 02 - Cryosphere in Crisis: Pathways for a Safe and Just Future
Room VI -
Side-Event 03 - TPGE: Third Pole Glacier Melt and Earth System Consequences
Room XI -
Side-Event 04 -Leveraging the Science Decade: Opportunities for Partnerships and Collective Action
Room II -
Side-Event 05 - Towards an international governance for the protection of glaciers and postglacial ecosystems
Cinema
Side-Event 6 - Stories from the Cryosphere: Glaciers on the Edge – Screening of the winning films of the 2026 Short Film Competition
10:30 - 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:30
Parallel Side-Events n°2
Room IX -
Side-Event 07 - Beyond Glacier Loss: biodiversity monitoring, hazard assessment, governance, and citizen action for the future of cryospheric landscapes
Room VII -
Side-Event 08 - Tara Polaris : studying and protecting the Arctic Ocean, sentinel of the climate
Room VI -
Side-Event 09 - The Glaciers Fresk
Room XI -
Side-Event 10 - Indigenous and Indigenous Youth-led action for glaciers and mountains
Room II -
Side-Event 11 - Inter-Polar dialogue on People, Glaciers, and Climate
Cinema -
Side-Event 12 - Documentary screening « After the Glaciers »
12:30 - 13:25
Lunch break
13:25 - 13:45
Global Water Ceremony
Organized by Glacier Nation in UNESCO's garden
14:00 - 15:30
Parallel Side-Events n°3
Room IX -
Side-Event 13 - Science to Societies: Ethical and Action-Oriented Adaptation to Cryospheric Los
Room VII -
Side-Events 14 - PolarPod - Understanding to act: PERSEVERANCE in Antarctica
Room VI -
Side-Event 15 - Exposition immersive Eau précieuse – Immersive exhibition “Eau précieuse”
Room XI -
Side-Event 16 - Glaciers, Water and Mountain Ecosystems in the Andes
Room II -
Side-Event 17: Glacier Loss from Climate Change and New Risks to Sustainable Development in Glacier and Downstream Nations
Cinema -
Side-Event 18 - ARCTIC GLACIERS, STATE OF PLAY
15:30 - 16:00
Coffee Break
16:00 - 17:30
Parallel Side-Events n°4
Room IX -
Side-Event 19 - Ice Memory, a world first: the legacy of mountain glaciers preserved in Antarctica
Room VII -
Side-Event 20 - Integrated Observation and Prediction Systems for the Cryosphere
Room VI
Side-Event 21 - Dans la peau d’un jeune : un escape game pour comprendre la cryosphère et le rôle de la médiation scientifique
Room XI -
Side-Event 22 - Art for the cryosphere
Room II -
Special Event - UN World Water Development Report 2026, Water for All People, Equal rights and opportunities
Cinema -
Side-Event 24 - Seeing and hearing glaciers
18:00 - 20:00
Reception organized by the Permanent Delegation of the People's Republic of China to UNESCO and Polar Hub
At UNESCO Restaurant, 7th Floor
In-person Side-Events
Room IX - 9:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 01 - Tears of the Glacier
Room VII - 09:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 02 - Cryosphere in Crisis: Pathways for a Safe and Just Future
Room VI - 09:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 03 - TPGE: Third Pole Glacier Melt and Earth System Consequences
Room XI - 09:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 04 -Leveraging the Science Decade: Opportunities for Partnerships and Collective Action
Room II - 09:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 05 - Towards an international governance for the protection of glaciers and postglacial ecosystems
UNESCO's Cinema - 09:00 to 10:30
Side-Event 6 - Stories from the Cryosphere: Glaciers on the Edge – Screening of the winning films of the 2026 Short Film Competition
Room IX - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 07 - Beyond Glacier Loss: biodiversity monitoring, hazard assessment, governance, and citizen action for the future of cryospheric landscapes
Room VII - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 08 - Fondation Tara Océan - Tara Polaris : studying and protecting the Arctic Ocean, sentinel of the climate
Room VI - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 09 - The Glaciers Fresk
Room XI - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 10 - Indigenous and Indigenous Youth-led action for glaciers and mountains
Room II - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 11 - Inter-Polar dialogue on People, Glaciers, and Climate
UNESCO's Cinema - 11:00-12:30
Side-Event 12 - Documentary screening « After the Glaciers »
Room IX - 14:00-15:30
Side-Event 13 - Science to Societies: Ethical and Action-Oriented Adaptation to Cryospheric Loss
Room VII - 14:00-15:30
Side-Events 14 - PolarPod - Understanding to act: PERSEVERANCE in Antarctica
Room VI - 14:00-15:30
Side-Event 15 - Exposition immersive Eau précieuse – Immersive exhibition “Eau précieuse”
Room XI - 14:00-15:30
Side-Event 16 - Glaciers, Water and Mountain Ecosystems in the Andes
Room II - 14:00-15:30
Side-Event 17 - Glacier Loss from Climate Change and New Risks to Sustainable Development in Glacier and Downstream Nations
Cinema - 14:00-15:30
Side-Event 18 - ARCTIC GLACIERS, STATE OF PLAY
Room IX - 16:00-17:30
Side-Event 19 - Ice Memory, a world first: the legacy of mountain glaciers preserved in Antarctica
Room VII - 16:00-17:30
Side-Event 20 - Integrated Observation and Prediction Systems for the Cryosphere
Room VI - 16:00-17:30
Side-Event 21 - Dans la peau d’un jeune : un escape game pour comprendre la cryosphère et le rôle de la médiation scientifique
Room XI - 16:00-17:30
Side-Event 22 - Art for the cryosphere
Room II - 16:00-17:30
Special Event: UN World Water Development Report 2026 - Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities"
Cinema - 16:00-17:30
Side-Event 24 - Seeing and hearing glaciers
Artistic Performances
The laureates of the Gautier Capuçon Foundation
Music Sings for the World’s Glaciers
Glacier Nation
Global Water Ceremony
Pilar Peña Queralt, pianist supported by Fundación Glaciares Chilenos
Resonances: Music for a changing planet
Exhibitions
Gennadiy Ivanov, John Pomeroy and Trevor Davies
The Great Thaw
IRD x UNESCO
The Voices of Glaciers
Interactive exhibition on glaciers in UNESCO Designated Sites by GRID-Arendal
Glaciers on the Edge: Preserving a Global Heritage
Carol Devine
Glacier Snowbank
Maxime Mergalet
Heart of Ice
Rice University
Global Glacier Casualty List
Desirée Patterson
Still in Place
OneWater and WWAP
Walk of Water: Identities
Pablo Diserens, Ludwig Berger, Marc Namblard, and Yoichi Kamimura
Ice series in celebration of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025
Community Events
Reception offered by Let’s Talk about Water
Film Festival ‘Glaciers on the Edge’ and announcement of the winners of the short-film competition (on the 17th at the Cinema MacMahon, Paris)
Afterwork organized by cimes blanches and margesauvage
An evening with the Glaciers (on the 19th at the Consulat Voltaire)
Virtual Side-Events
From Data to AI: Understanding Glaciers Past and Future
Online Side-Event 1
Rwenzori’s Melting Glaciers: A tale of Youth Engagement and Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Cryospheric Science in Uganda
Online Side-Event 2
Witnessing the Melt: Art as Climate Testimony by Glacierwatch
Online Side-Event 3
From Risk to Resilience: Co-Creating Community-Led GLOF Adaptation Frameworks for the Himalayas
Online Side-Event 4
Youth and Glacier Preservation
Online Side-Event 5
Cryosphere: Earth’s Ice Thermometer
Online Side-Event 6
Regional Dialogue on Cryospheric Sciences in Central Asia
Online Side-Event 7
Paradise by Ian Hutton and Selva Ozelli for Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO)
Online Side-Event 8
Ocean Lovers – To the Core Flag CCL by Selva Ozelli for Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO)
Online Side-Event 9
Glacier Flag by Alfons Rodriguez and Fatma Kadir as part of the America at 250 Exhibition at Havre de Grace Maritime Museum
Online Side-Event 10
Implications of Glacier Melt for Africa’s Coasts and Biodiversity
Online Side-Event 11
Discovering the Cryosphere: importance, relevance and preservation
Remote Side-Event 12
Ocean Rock Base, Africa Ocean Alliance and Nature Cares Resources Centre
Online Side-Event 13 - Implications of Glacier Melt for Africa’s Coasts and Biodiversity
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