This Monday, 29 May 2023, marks 70 years since the first successful ascent of Everest. And the tallest mountain on earth – or Chomolungma, “Goddess, Mother of the World”, as it is known in Tibetan, and Sagarmatha, “Head above the Clouds” in Nepali – is undergoing unprecedented and largely irreversible change. 

At this moment, ICIMOD invites you to join them in a global campaign to protect our planet’s cryosphere – frozen water at the Earth’s surface which includes glacier ice, snow, permafrost, and lake and river ice.

To make the collective voices heard, ICIMOD has developed a declaration to call for everyone to come together to protect Earth’s mountains, snow, and ice and to join hands with mountain communities, climbers and scientists to sound the alarm from Everest for world leaders to act. With the WMO predicting the world will pass 1.5 degrees of warming before 2027, there is no time left.

Please add your name to this crucial declaration by visiting the website . Every signature matters, and you are encouraged to share the declaration with your friends and family.

Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, is among the first signatories. She is currently trekking to the Everest region as part of the delegation to mark this anniversary. The delegation includes descendants of the legendary Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, Kanchha Sherpa – the last living Sherpa of the first expedition to climb Mt Everest – the grandfather of ICIMOD glaciologist, Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa.

The more individuals who sign the declaration, the greater the likelihood of garnering attention. Please take a moment to add your name and help us create a bigger impact.

Read and sign the declaration

Raise your voice