The Chairman of the Committee Champions Glacier Preservation at High-Level ADB Food Systems Forum in Milan

7 May 2025 | Milan, Italy

 At a high-level event on “Transforming Food Systems for a Sustainable Future”, hosted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sulton Rahimzoda, Chairman of the State Committee on Investments and State Property Management of Tajikistan, delivered a call for global action on climate-linked food and water insecurity.

Participating as a featured panelist alongside global leaders including Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the FAO, and Yvonne Pinto, Director General of IRRI, Sulton Rahimzoda emphasized the urgent threat of glacier melt in Central Asia, framing it as a major risk to regional food and water systems. He invited stakeholders to join the upcoming High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation, set to take place in Dushanbe on 29–31 May, positioning Tajikistan as a vocal advocate for environmental resilience in global food system dialogues.

The session opened with remarks by ADB President Masato Kanda, who unveiled the bank’s 2025–2030 agenda for food systems transformation, focusing on nutrition, rural revitalization, ecosystem protection, gender equity, and agribusiness financing.

Moderated by Professor Shenggen Fan of China Agricultural University, the event brought together senior officials and Nobel laureates, including Michael Kremer, Alvaro Lario (IFAD), and Cindy McCain (WFP), to chart inclusive and climate-smart pathways for regional food security.

Rahimzoda’s message stood out as a critical reminder of how environmental degradation directly undermines food systems — and how coordinated international action is urgently needed.