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Children and Glaciers: A Symbolic Expedition with Iván Vallejo from Yaku

A special encounter with the renowned Ecuadorian mountaineer to raise awareness about the importance of glaciers

2 June 2025

Quito, June 2, 2025

As part of the International Year of Glacier Preservation 2025, the UNESCO Office in Ecuador, together with the Yaku Water Museum, the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), and the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (INAMHI), is organizing a unique awareness-raising event for children. The event will take place on June 9, 2025, at the Yaku Water Museum Park in Quito.

The special guest will be the renowned Ecuadorian mountaineer Iván Vallejo, who will share his unique experiences on glaciers in Ecuador and around the world with the children. Vallejo, the first Ecuadorian to summit all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen, will offer his testimony on how glaciers have changed over the years due to climate change.

During this heartfelt encounter, the children will have the opportunity to ask Iván questions and send him messages and drawings dedicated to the glaciers, as a symbol of their commitment to protecting them. These messages will be carried by him to one of Ecuador’s glaciers, in a symbolic gesture connecting children’s voices with high-mountain ecosystems.

“Glaciers are true guardians of water and climate. Their disappearance puts the water security of millions at risk,” explains Verónica Minaya, Officer for the Natural Sciences Sector at UNESCO Ecuador, who will also take part in the event with an interactive talk to explain to children why these ice giants are vital for the planet.

Glaciers store nearly 70% of the Earth’s fresh water and provide for more than 2 billion people. Their rapid retreat due to climate change threatens biodiversity, climate balance, and the lives of entire communities—particularly in Andean regions like Ecuador, where more than 50% of glacier ice has been lost over the past 50 years.

This activity is part of a national awareness campaign about the critical state of glaciers, led by UNESCO and its partners, to promote a new culture of respect and protection for water and the environment from an early age.

UNESCO is leading the International Year of Glacier Preservation 2025 at the global level—an initiative adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the crucial role glaciers play in the climate system, the water cycle, and human life. This global commemoration aims to foster scientific cooperation, share best practices, promote environmental education, and mobilize concrete actions to protect these endangered ecosystems. From the Andes to the Himalayas, UNESCO works with governments, communities, and youth to uphold the right to water and to a sustainable future.