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Gender issues in mountains


Women and men play key roles with respect to environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas.
Women are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity and the main actors in terms of agriculture, animal husbandry and other small scale economic activities. In mountain communities, women  are keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture and experts in traditional medicine.

However, women mountain dwellers are often invisible and their voices go unheard. They rarely participate in decisions affecting the management and use of local resources; they often lack basic rights, have little access to ownership and land tenure rights, education, health services and training. Since women and girls have less access to household resources, they are at a greater risk of hunger and malnutrition.

As men migrate to lowlands areas or abroad in search of better income, women are left to manage the farm and household and participate in small trade and income-earning activities. Yet lack of access to credit hampers efforts to improve or expand their farm activities and earn cash incomes. Inaccessibility shapes the lives of mountain communities. Further, the challenges men and women face in mountain regions is intensified by altitude, steep terrain and isolation.

Mountain women of the world

In 2022 and 2023, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat teamed up with the Feminist Hiking Collective – a non-profit organization and transnational hub for feminist hikers, and a member of the Mountain Partnership – on a social research project to identify the main challenges faced by mountain women and support their collective power, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery. 

In-depth interviews were conducted with 313 mountain women in Argentina, Chile, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the United Republic of Tanzania. The result of this collaboration was the publication of two reports, Mountain women of the world – Challenges, resilience and collective power and Mountain women of the world – Shaping change for the common good.

The Feminist Hiking Collective and the Mountain Women of the World Network are producing a documentary series on their interviews with the women in each country. Watch the videos here:

Announcing the International Mountain Day 2024 theme

Announcing the International Mountain Day 2024 theme

peak to peak

The April 2024 issue of Peak to Peak excitedly announces the theme of International Mountain Day 2024. Top news stories cover events at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women that celebrated the contributions of mountain women and efforts to advocate for sustainable tourism in mountains....

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CSW68 parallel event: Empowering Mountain Women Economically through an Inclusive Student-Engaged Learning

CSW68 parallel event: Empowering Mountain Women Economically through an Inclusive Student-Engaged Learning

event

You are cordially invited to a parallel event during the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: "Empowering Mountain Women Economically Through an Inclusive Student Engaged Learning"

DATE: 20 March 2024

TIME: 8.30 - 9.45 EDT

VENUE: Virtual event 

Join us for an enlightening discourse on the empowerment of mountain...

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Exploring strategies for the empowerment of pastoralist women in mountain areas

Exploring strategies for the empowerment of pastoralist women in mountain areas

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European mountainous regions host communities deeply entrenched in pastoral traditions within which pastoralist women play an indispensable role in sustaining local practices, preserving ecological balance, and fostering socioeconomic development. To discuss these intersections, a Consultation Day under the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) gathered over 100 participants...

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World Social Forum 2024 Nepal highlights mountains and climate justice

World Social Forum 2024 Nepal highlights mountains and climate justice

peak to peak

The March 2024 issue of Peak to Peak reports on the World Social Forum 2024 Nepal. Top news stories cover a national training on mountain vulnerability assessment in Kyrgyzstan and a new podcast on mountains. Peak to Peak continues with a featured video, publications and upcoming events. Happy reading!

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 Achieving sustainable food systems in mountains

Achieving sustainable food systems in mountains

peak to peak

The February 2024 issue of Peak to Peak highlights recent international events focused on mountains, including the conference "Enabling resilient and sustainable food systems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya" in Nepal and the European foresight workshop for resilient mountain areas in Belgium. Top news stories and features cover the declaration...

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Sharing knowledge throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: Good practices for the restoration of mountain ecosystems

Sharing knowledge throughout the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: Good practices for the restoration of mountain ecosystems

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To support and scale up efforts to restore degraded ecosystems worldwide, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 as the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (UN Decade), co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). To help achieve...

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