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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:

Enter the Mountain Future Award 2024

Enter the Mountain Future Award 2024

peak to peak

The October 2024 issue of Peak to Peak highlights the call for submissions to the Mountain Future Award 2024, which is in celebration of International Mountain Day. Individuals over 18 are invited to submit trasformative projects that emphasize the critical role of innovation, climate adaptation and youth engagement in driving...

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MPS releases 2023 Annual Report highlighting major achievements in sustainable mountain development

MPS releases 2023 Annual Report highlighting major achievements in sustainable mountain development

peak to peak

The September 2024 issue of Peak to Peak announces the release of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat's 2023 Annual Report, which is available online, showcasing major achievements in sustainable mountain development. Top news stories in this issue highlight the call for applications for “GROW - Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate 2024”...

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Mountain Partnership Secretariat: Annual report 2023

Mountain Partnership Secretariat: Annual report 2023

publication

The Mountain Partnership is the United Nations alliance dedicated to mountain peoples and environments. The Secretariat of the Mountain Partnership is hosted by FAO. The 2023 Annual Report of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) outlines the MPS' key achievements throughout the year, including supporting the observance of the Five Years...

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Little Earth conducts training on gender equality for local women in the Yagnob Valley, Tajikistan

Little Earth conducts training on gender equality for local women in the Yagnob Valley, Tajikistan

news

From 23 to 24 June 2024, a two-day training session titled "The Role and Participation of Women in the Development of Local Communities" was held in the village of Piskon, Yagnob Valley, Tajikistan. This event, organized by the environmental organization Little Earth, a member of the Mountain Partnership, brought together...

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Call for case studies, publication on best practices for climate change solutions in mountains

Call for case studies, publication on best practices for climate change solutions in mountains

news

The past year marked a turning point for the mountain agenda on climate change. Mountains were recognized in the COP 28 stocktake document, and the first-ever dialogue on mountains and climate change took place at SBSTA 60 in Bonn.

To build on this momentum, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat seeks your contributions...

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International dialogue in Nepal calls for urgent climate action in mountains

International dialogue in Nepal calls for urgent climate action in mountains

peak to peak

The June 2024 issue of Peak to Peak covers the two-day international expert dialogue on "Mountain, People, and Climate Change" held in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 22-23 May. Top news stories cover mountain events at the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the UN Forum on Forests. Peak to Peak...

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