BAKU, Azerbaijan,
September 22. Kyrgyzstan is ready to contribute
$10 million from its state budget to a special international trust
fund for the preservation of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyz President Sadyr
Japarov said, while addressing the UN General Assembly.
“To confirm our intentions with concrete actions, we are ready
to contribute $10 million from the state budget to this fund,”
Japarov said.
He called on the United Nations, international financial
institutions and donor countries to support the initiative to
establish the fund.
According to Japarov, Lake Issyk-Kul is facing significant
climate-related pressures. Its water level has declined by nearly
14 meters over the past 170 years, while the rate of decline
reached 7 centimeters per year over the past five years.
He noted that only around 30 of the 101 rivers that historically
flowed into Issyk-Kul now flow year-round.
More than 30% of the Tien Shan's mountain glaciers, which are
among the lake's main water sources, have melted over the past 70
years, according to the president. Around 20% of this decline
occurred over the past seven to 10 years.
Japarov said the changes pose a threat to the region's
biodiversity and the economic stability of hundreds of thousands of
people.
“We are not asking you for help. We are proposing a joint global
partnership to preserve this unique natural resource of planet
Earth,” the Kyrgyz president said.
