Hikers walking on a glacier
Glaciers are considered as important water towers since they store approximately 70% of the global freshwater.
Photo:DJoseph/Adobe Stock

Glaciers: Guardians of Earth's Future

Glaciers are nature’s frozen sentinels, vast rivers of ice and snow that carve the Earth, silently bearing witness to the passage of time and the shifting rhythms of our planet.

They are essential to Earth's ecosystem, acting as critical freshwater reservoirs and indicators of the planet's health. They provide water for millions of people, regulate sea levels, and support biodiversity.

Yet, these frozen giants are under threat. Rising global temperatures are causing glaciers to retreat at an alarming rate, leading to water scarcity, rising sea levels, and increasing the chances of natural disasters like floods or landslides.

These cascading changes jeopardize ecosystems, human livelihoods, and economies around the world. To address this urgent challenge, ambitious action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is essential. 

World Day for Glaciers along with the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034), encourage us all to act to preserve the vital role of glaciers in sustaining life on Earth for generations to come. 

 

a climber climing the inner part of a glacier in Alaska
DCrane Photography/Adobe Stock

Join the movement, save the glaciers

UNESCO will celebrate the World Day for Glaciers at its 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.

UNESCO thematic website about Glaciers

Promotional material on Trello

Events

Did you know?

  • More than 2 billion people —equivalent to more than the combined populations of China and the United States— depend on glacier and snowmelt as a crucial source of freshwater.
  • The ongoing decline in glaciers contributes to global sea-level rise, with today’s sea level about 20 cm higher than in 1900.
  • Glaciers are projected to vanish in one-third of the current sites by 2050.
  • Three Olympic-sized pools of ice melt every second.
Key messages

Reasons to defend our icy giants

UN Websites you should not miss

A girl stunned by the beauty of an ice cave in Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacier in Iceland

Our cryosphere - glaciers, ice caps, snow and permafrost - is melting at an unprecedented pace. Urgent action is needed to safeguard these vital frozen areas on which billions rely on for freshwater and climate stability. The Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025–2034) is a global effort to boost research and drive urgent action to protect Earth’s frozen areas. 

Two women with fur hats standing on mountain top in Nepal

 UN Water-UNESCO join report on water and sanitation is launched every year on World Water Day, exploring the same theme as World Water Day, and giving policy recommendations to decision-makers by offering best practices and in-depth analyses. The 2025 edition is titled ‘Water Towers: Mountains and glaciers’.

an abstract illustration of people engaged in an event

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.