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©Roberto Cenciarelli
The role of mountain forests for livelihoods and resource management, the leadership of Indigenous Peoples, youth action and employment, upstream and downstream linkages, and the road to CBD COP17, UNFCCC COP31 and the Bishkek+25 Global Mountain Summit were discussed at the side event on mountain forests at COFO 28. The main consensus was that solutions for mountain forests already exist, and that the time has come to turn growing global attention into investment and action on the ground.
The discussion was co-moderated by Julia Wolf, Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) and Vincent Gitz, Director, Program and Platforms at the Landscape Alliance. Opening the session, Wolf pointed to the milestones of the past year, including the adoption of the Andorra Declaration at the Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, the second UNFCCC dialogue on mountains and climate change in Bonn, as well as the road ahead to CBD COP17 and the Bishkek+25 Global Mountain Summit in 2027.
A call to turn awareness into investment
Deputy Director-General Maurizio Martina, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), highlighted that despite mountains being distant landscapes, what happens in them affects us all. Citing the recent floods in Nepal as a tragic reminder of what is at stake, he stressed that investing in healthy mountain ecosystems, early warning systems and locally led solutions can save lives and avoid far greater costs later.
Italy announces new contribution
Ambassador Bruno Archi, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in Rome, recalled that Italy co-founded the Mountain Partnership in 2002 with Switzerland, FAO and United Nations Environment Programme, and today chairs its Steering Committee and is the main financial supporter of the Secretariat.
Ambassador Archi announced that Italy has approved a new annual contribution of EUR 2.5 million for the MPS, with a special focus this year on Central Asia and Small Island Developing States. He noted that Mountain Partnership initiatives supported by Italy have engaged more than 55 000 farmers and producers, 60 percent of them women, across 18 countries, as well as supported over 140 producer organizations.
High-level statements followed by Ambassador Dinara Kemelova, Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on mountain agenda and Vice Chair of the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee, on carrying the momentum of the Five Years of Action through Bishkek+25 and beyond, highlighting Kyrgyzstan's commitment to keeping this momentum going.
Jorge Ernesto Ávila Antelo, Vice Minister of Environment and Biodiversity of Bolivia, underlined that over 10 million hectares of Bolivian mountain forests across Yungas, Ceja de Monte and Tucumano-Boliviano serve as vital natural infrastructure for water, food and climate security. He urged the international community to recognize mountain ecosystems as strategic components of climate governance rather than marginal areas.
Solutions from countries, communities and the private sector
Panelists focused on implementation. Sonam Tobgay, Department of Forests and Park Services of Bhutan, explained how climate impacts in high-mountain forests create a cascading effect downstream, directly affecting water systems, land, agriculture and hydropower generation. He stressed that investing in resilient mountain forests is not only an investment in forests but also in water security, food security, disaster resilience, rural livelihoods and the resilience of society as a whole.
Tristan Tyrrell, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), discussed how mountain ecosystems can be better reflected in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) ahead of COP17. He stressed the connection between high-mountain biodiversity and downstream populations and urged for stronger synergies across the Rio Conventions and initiatives such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to raise the profile of mountains towards 2030.
Juan Carlos Jintiach Acros, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, described how Indigenous Peoples have coexisted with mountain-to-basin ecosystems for generations. He emphasized that the protection of mountain ecosystems works best when it is built on Indigenous Peoples leadership, governance and traditional knowledge. Noting that Indigenous communities steward nearly one billion hectares globally, he encouraged international bodies and governments to partner with Indigenous Peoples as equal rights-holders and co-creators of policy.
Simone Rocchi, Altromercato, shared the private sector perspective, making the case for partnerships over transactional supply chains, in which climate and logistical risks often fall on fragile mountain communities. He noted that co-investing in mountain producers is a sound strategy for resilient supply chains.
Jigchen Norbu, Mountain Youth Hub and FAO, highlighted the role of young people in leading solutions and provided examples of youth-led organizations that are having an impact around the Himalayas. She pointed out that there is a stark lack of employment opportunities for skilled young people, especially in mountain regions, and recommended embedding youth employment in mountain policies, redesigning vocational education, creating paid entry pathways, investing in climate-tech startups and offering social protection during climate disasters.
Looking ahead to COP17, COP31 and Bishkek+25
Closing the event, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Forestry Division Zhimin Wu thanked the speakers and panelists for their time and strategic insight. He recognized Italy for its recently renewed commitment to the MPS, and Ireland and Switzerland for their continued support. Wu offered one key message: mountains are humanity's origin, its challenge and the source of solutions to global problems. Looking ahead, he identified two priorities. The first is to design for the future, using milestones such as CBD COP17, UNFCCC COP31 and the Bishkek+25 Global Mountain Summit in 2027 to review progress and shape the mountain agenda beyond 2030. The second is to scale up implementation, turning commitments into impactful action on the ground.
The side event "Mountain forest solutions for people and prosperity" took place on the margins of the 28th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) and the 10th World Forest Week. Organized by the MPS and the Landscape Alliance.
