International Mountain Day: “Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger and the challenges of women”

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

• I would like to thank the Permanent Missions of Kyrgyzstan, Austria and Peru for organizing this important event, and for inviting me here today as part of this panel.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

• I would like to begin by speaking of the vulnerability of mountain people.
• One in three mountain people in developing countries is vulnerable to food insecurity. When only rural mountain areas are considered, this increases to one out of every two. Food insecurity in mountain areas is much higher than the global average.
• This vulnerability was recognized in the Resolution on sustainable mountain development that the General Assembly adopted at its last session, in a process that was co-facilitated by Peru and Italy, with the active participation of many in this room. ·
• Climate change and natural disasters, combined with marginalization, increase the vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity and extreme poverty.
• The relevance and impact of what happens to mountains and to vulnerable mountain families, reaches much further than their communities.
• It’s an issue that concerns all of us, not the least because of the promise of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.
• Almost 1 billion people live in mountain areas, and over half of the human population depends on mountains for water, food and clean energy. ·
• Mountains provide between 60 to 80 percent of freshwater resources, but climate change threatens the ability of mountain peoples to provide freshwater and other ecosystem goods and services for millions of people, upstream and downstream.
• The health of our mountains, and the well-being of its communities, therefore, play a key role in our capacity to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

• When discussing mountains, we must discuss the important roles of mountain women and the disproportionate challenges that they face.
• Women are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity and the main actors in terms of agriculture and other economic activities.
• And their importance grows as men migrate to lowlands or abroad in search of better income and women are left behind to take care of the lives and livelihoods of the family.
• And yet, despite their importance, 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 access to land tenure rights, education, health services and training.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

• How to respond to the challenges faced by mountain women and vulnerable mountain communities? This is a question that all of us should ask. There is no magic answer, but a set of principles that we can follow.
• We must look within mountain communities themselves for guidance. Listen to what they need, the priorities they identify, and build from the knowledge and experience they possess.
• For generations, they have learned how to manage and enhance the resilience of fragile mountain ecosystems. This wealth cannot be ignored.
• Indigenous and traditional mountain farmers, for example, have designed their agricultural systems in a way to protect the soil from erosion, conserve water resources and reduce the risks posed by natural disasters. They use these skills and knowledge to protect mountain ecosystems because, for them, mountains are home.
• We should promote targeted investments and policies that enhance and complement the knowledge that mountain communities possess, and contribute to build resilience and improve livelihoods. ·
• This cannot be a top-down process, it needs their active involvement in the definition of priorities and implementing the decision. This requires capacity building so that they can apply what they learn in their communities.
• Women also have specific needs that must be addressed. It is essential to empower them in the communities, guarantee their land rights, and ensure their access to natural resources, credit and education. There can be no doubt that investing in mountain women is investing in sustainable mountain development.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

• Today on the occasion of International Mountain Day, the Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership began its work at FAO Headquarters in Rome adopting the “Framework for Action for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Mountains”. Copies of the framework are available in the room.
• Among other points, the Framework asks governments, intergovernmental organizations and other partners to integrate sustainable mountain development and mountain ecosystem conservation in their sustainable development policies.
• The framework calls on the Mountain Partners to promote language on mountains in international and regional outcome documents, resolutions and strategies.
• And it also calls for the increase awareness raising activities, and this event is an example in this regard.
• The Framework for Action helps put in motion and enhance concrete measures and policies that will strengthen the resilience of mountain peoples and environments in the face of climate change.
• We look forward to working with you to implement the framework and to ensure that mountains and mountain people are not left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Thank you for your attention.