DUSHANBE, June 11. /TASS/. Climate change issues and their consequences, such as water shortages, could undermine the foundations of national security, and the SCO must work to prevent this, stated SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming during the plenary session of the international conference "Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028" in Dushanbe.

"In recent years, the SCO region has been facing increasingly serious threats related to water resources. The process of glacier melting in the Himalayas, Tian Shan, and Pamirs is accelerating. The water reserves of the Aral Sea are depleting at a rapid pace. <...> The complications are becoming more apparent; these phenomena will not only lead to the loss of valuable water resources in the region but also have far-reaching consequences, such as food crises and increased poverty, which will ultimately undermine the foundations of security and growth of all countries," he said.

The Secretary-General noted that "in this context, it is necessary for SCO member states to unite in the joint protection of water resources, upon which our survival depends." "In recent years, the SCO has prioritized ecology and environmental protection in cooperation and has taken a number of preventive and proactive measures to work more closely in the fields of ecology, environmental protection, including water resources," Zhang Ming said.

He pointed out that at the recent meeting in Astana of the heads of SCO ministries and agencies responsible for environmental protection, joint decisions on environmental issues were made, an action plan for the implementation of the SCO Green Belt program for 2024-2026 was adopted, as well as a plan of activities for implementing the concept of cooperation among SCO member states in environmental protection for 2025-2027.

Zhang Ming also added that in July of this year, the SCO Secretariat plans to organize a forum on ecology, as 2024 has been declared the Year of Ecology within the organization's space.

The high-level international conference "Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028" is being held in Dushanbe from June 10 to 13. It is attended by politicians, scientists, officials, and experts from more than 100 countries.