Events

Mountain Biodiversity 2002-2022: Achievements and next challenges at global and regional level

From: 16.09.2022 to: 16.09.2022

In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly called on governments, national and international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to make voluntary contributions in accordance with the Economic and Social Council’s guidelines for International Years and anniversaries, and to lend other forms of support to the International Year of Mountains.

After 20 years, the United Nations General Assembly designated 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. Throughout the year, governments, international organizations, and stakeholders are invited to raise awareness of the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems.

Over the past twenty years, several important milestones have been reached, and new challenges and threats for mountain ecosystems have emerged due to climatic and anthropic pressures. These require knowledge of mountain biodiversity and a harmonized monitoring system in order to adopt effective and science-based sets of adaptation and mitigation measures and to strengthen climate-resilient sustainable mountain development.

The Mountain Partnership and the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions have played an essential role in increasing public awareness and in the achievement of the protection of mountains and sustainable mountain development, supporting transboundary governance, promoting cooperation and the establishment of knowledge networks across mountain regions.

The purpose of this event is to contribute to the implementation of the UN resolution “International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, 2022” (document A/76/L.28), raising awareness of the importance of the protection of mountain ecosystems, providing an overview of the main achievements of the past years at global and regional level, and offering a discussion on the way forward and the main challenges related to the protection of mountain biodiversity.

For any questions or clarifications, please contact the Italian Delegation to the Alpine Convention: [email protected]

Register here for the event by 13 September.

Photo: ©Ania Ladygin