United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued an urgent warningthat Himalayan glaciers are "crashing inward" due to rapid melting. He stressed the need for immediate action to address the climate crisis, especially in the world's most fragile ecosystems.

The warning was made in a video message addressed to the inaugural event Sagarmatha Sambad (Mount Everest Dialogue) organized by the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu. Guterres said that Record temperatures have led to record melting of glaciersHe stated that Nepal is "on thin ice" today - it has lost almost a third of its ice in the last thirty years. In addition, Nepal's glaciers have melted 65 percent faster in the last decade than in the previous period.

Himalayan glaciers have served as key freshwater reservoirs for centuries. Their accelerated melting is now threatening not only local communities but also the vast populations downstream that depend on water from the Himalayas. Reduced water flow in river systems such as the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus threatens not only water supplies but also food production for nearly two billion people in South Asia. Guterres warned that, combined with saltwater, this could lead to delta collapse and mass displacement. He said we could see “low-lying lands and communities wiped out forever.”

Event Sagarmatha Sambad, named after Mount Everest (in Nepali Sagarmatha), served as an international platform that brought together ministers, parliamentarians, climate experts and civil society to focus on climate change, mountain ecosystems and sustainability.

Even before the summit, Nepali children and youth have come to the fore with their own call for action. In a statement submitted to the dialogue, more than 100 children and young people called for urgent and inclusive climate action that recognizes them as rights holders and climate actors – not just passive victims. Their key demands include ensuring children’s participation in climate decisions, supporting youth-led programmes and supporting their innovation and climate action. The head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nepal, Alice Akunga, said: The climate crisis is a children's rights crisis – it disproportionately affects their health, nutrition, education and well-beingShe stressed that listening to the voices of the “future of humanity” is crucial for designing and implementing meaningful and lasting solutions to the adverse effects of climate change on children and youth.

In his message, Guterres reiterated his call for the world to “stop the madness” of fossil-fuel-fueled global warming, a warning he made during his previous visit to the Everest region in 2023, when he stood amidst glacial basins and warned that the “roofs of the world” were rapidly disappearing.

Guterres praised Nepal’s climate leadership, including its reforestation programs, early warning systems and goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2045. The world must act urgently to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C, the goal set by the Paris Agreement on climate change. The biggest polluters must lead by example. This includes investing in renewable energy, meeting the $1.3 trillion climate finance target agreed at COP29, doubling adaptation financing to at least $40 billion this year, as committed by developed countries, and providing robust, sustained support to the Loss and Damage Fund. Achieving these goals requires bold collaboration, Guterres said, adding that the United Nations is an ally in this crucial role. Spring