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.
