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Resilience in face of climate change theme of MP Global Meeting

08.12.2017

More than 150 representatives from mountainous countries, intergovernmental organizations and civil society will endorse concrete measures and policies to strengthen the resilience of mountain people and environments in the face of climate change during meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy next week.

A Framework for Action will be the focus of the fifth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, which opens on 11 December — International Mountain Day (IMD) with its theme “Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger and migration”. The Framework will aim to support concrete actions, put in place long-lasting processes, and establish policies to strengthen the resilience of mountain peoples and environments. The Framework will also aim to ensure that sustainable mountain development is integrated into the 2030 Agenda and in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“The meeting will raise awareness of the plight of mountain peoples, among the hungriest of the world, and the role that mountains play in the sustainable development of our planet,” said Thomas Hofer, Mountain Partnership Secretariat Coordinator.

Participants from all over the world will discuss the challenges facing mountain ecosystems and communities, and how they are sustained by their cultures and traditions. They are also expected to endorse the Framework by pledging that by 2030:
• Governments will review and update their development policies to integrate appropriate strategies for sustainable mountain development and mountain ecosystem conservation;
• Governments, intergovernmental organizations and donors will review and update their international development cooperation policies to make sustainable mountain development and mountain ecosystem conservation an integral part of these policies; and
• They will all work to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable mountain development and mountain ecosystem conservation in all relevant international forums.

Six side events at the meeting will cover topics ranging from the role of education in sustainable mountain development, to the value of science and research in evidence-informed policy and action. During a side event on understanding landscape and watershed management in mountains, a FAO publication Watershed Management in Action will be launched. As well, a dynamic “Speed Geeking” session is scheduled for 13 December where participants can present their mountain-related projects.

Two photo exhibits will open on International Mountain Day and continue to 20 December. One will showcase work by photographer, climber and philanthropist Jake Norton of MountainWorld Productions, while the other exhibit, “High in the Mountains” by the Russian Geographical Society features award-winning photographs of mountains from Russia.

A display of Mountain Partnership Products will include 14 items – from chamomile tea, pink rice and purple rice to golden berry jam, blueberry jam, maca Andina plant, silk and felt scarves, and coffee — all grown and developed in mountain regions around the world. The products are part of a joint initiative implemented by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and Slow Food.

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Photo: FAO/Edson Vandeira

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