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IMD and the MP Global Meeting ahead

29.11.2017

International Mountain Day (IMD) is held every year on 11 December and celebrated all over the world. As the lead coordinating agency for the preparation of this United Nations international day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) works with the decentralized offices, governments and civil society in many countries to organize events that raise awareness about the relevance of mountains for sustainable development. Events to mark the celebrations include, conferences, fairs, literature festivals, hikes and photo exhibitions among others.

International Mountain Day is a chance to reflect upon the plight of mountain peoples, among the hungriest of the world, and the role that mountains play in the sustainable development of our planet. The theme of this year’s IMD celebration, "Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration", aims to raise awareness about how the effects of climate change will impact food security and migration patterns in mountains.

This year, the theme of climate, hunger and migration is also linked to the Mountain Partnership Global Meeting, to be held on 11-13 December at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. Coinciding with IMD and the 15th anniversary of the Mountain Partnership, the Mountain Partnership Global Meeting will raise awareness of the need to place mountain ecosystems and peoples at the centre of international negotiations, policies and investments.

The Global Meeting will launch a Framework for Action to support concrete actions, put in place long-lasting processes and establish policies that strengthen the resilience of mountain peoples and environments. It will also aim to ensure that sustainable mountain development is integrated into the 2030 Agenda and in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Six side events will take place on the side lines of the Global Meeting, covering topics ranging from education and its role in sustainable mountain development, to science and research for evidence-informed policy and action on the ground. The new FAO publication Watershed Management in Action will be launched during the side event on understanding landscape and watershed management in mountains. On 13 December, Mountain Partnership members and non-members will participate in a dynamic “Speed Geeking” session, presenting their projects and programmes on mountains to a diverse audience of high-level representatives from mountainous countries, goodwill ambassadors, and representatives intergovernmental organizations, private sector and civil society.

The IMD celebration will continue in the Atrium from 11 to 20 December with three exhibitions taking centre stage. The first photographic exhibition by photographer, climber and philanthropist Jake Norton of MountainWorld Productions will showcase breathtakingly stunning mountain landscapes from around the world as well as profile the rich cultural heritages of mountain peoples. A second photographic exhibition, “High in the Mountains” by the Russian Geographical Society will feature award-winning photographs of mountains from Russia. Last but not least the flagship Mountain Partnership Products Initiative implemented jointly by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and Slow Food will display 14 products - including chamomile tea, pink rice, purple rice, golden berry jam, blueberry jam, maca Andina, silk and felt scarves, and coffee - grown and transformed in mountain regions around the world.

Two two-day training workshops, on the Mountain Green Cover Index and on Ecosystem-based Adaptation, will immediately follow the Mountain Partnership Global Meeting on 14-15 December 2017.

Information materials for IMD 2017 have been developed and are available for download here in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Read more:
International Mountain Day  
Mountain Partnership Global Meeting (draft agenda, side events, documents)

Photo: GettyImages

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