International Mountain Day


PEACE: key to sustainable mountain development

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International Mountain Day is being celebrated on 11 December this year with the theme ‘Peace: key to sustainable mountain development’.

Without peace, people cannot take steps to reduce their poverty, to secure food supplies and improve their livelihood opportunities. Conflicts in mountains have increased in the last 50 years, with serious violent conflicts now almost twice as likely to occur at high altitude. With mountains covering one-quarter of the earth’s land surface and home to 12 percent of the world’s population, mountain people are affected by conflict which is out of all proportion to their numbers and the land they occupy.

The UN General Assembly declared 11 December as International Mountain Day as a result of the successful observance of the UN International Year of Mountains in 2002, which increased global awareness of the importance of mountains, stimulated the establishment of national committees in 78 countries, and strengthened alliances through promoting the creation of the Mountain Partnership. FAO, the designated lead coordinating agency for the International Year of Mountains, is the Organization mandated to lead observance of International Mountain Day.

The Mountain Group in FAO’s Forestry Department is currently developing information and communication materials to help you celebrate International Mountain Day 2004.

Orignally posted at: http://www.mountainpartnership.org/