FAO.org

Prabhawa Organization of Haputale, Sri Lanka hosted its eighth annual International Mountain Day celebration on 9 December 2017. The event kicked off after religious observances at the Kurunji Sri Muthu Mariamman Temple. The main event took place at the Prabhawa Mountain view point at 5 295 feet above sea level. Participants enjoyed indigenous foods served with freshly brewed tea in coconut shells. Many locals, families, environmentalists and members of the Prabhawa Organization participated.

The Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) hosted its seventh International Mountain Day celebration at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, United States of America on 4 December 2017. During the event, a new partnership between UVU and the United Nations Department of Public Information was announced. Local speakers made presentations on the state of migration and food security in Utah. At the end of the event, the speakers and organizers received certificates for their contributions to the event.

International Mountain Day was celebrated by the Central Himalayan Institute for Nature and Applied Research (CHINAR), with support from the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, in Liti Village, Bageshwar, India. Over 1 500 people from 13 villages participated in the programme, which included traditional folk dance performances, mountain biking and running events, camping, handicraft and agrobiodiversity exhibitions and more. Member of Parliament Bhagat Singh Koshyari was Chief Guest of the event and declared Namik Glacier “Trek of the Year” for 2018. [...]

Mountain Research Ireland gives the International Mountain Day Award each year to raise awareness of the importance of mountains and to recognize individuals working for the sustainable development of mountains. This year, the award was given to geo-explorer Gosia Horajska, who has spent her career researching the world of rocks and minerals. To share her knowledge and passion with others, Gosia established Kerry Geo Adventures, which provides participants opportunities to explore and learn about how Kerry’s rugged landscape was formed. [...]

The Faculty of Geography together with the Geography Students Association (ASG) at the University of Bucharest, Romania celebrated International Mountain Day on 11 December. Meteorologist Alexandru Băran described his expedition to Central Asia, where he climbed Peak Lenin and Khan Tengri. Professor Anca Munteanu then shared her latest publication, Risks and Hazards in Piatra Craiului Mountains, which synthesizes 15 years of field research. In closing, the ASG presented their GeoTrip Project, which aims to bring youth in contact with nature. [...]

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) announces the winners of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Mountain Development Award each year on the occasion of International Mountain Day to honour achievements in ICT-enabled innovations and practices that promote environmental sustainability and mountain development in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. The following organizations were awarded: Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development, Bangladesh; Development Alternatives, India; Evergreen Karakorum - Think Green Pakistan, Pakistan; Real Time Solutions, Nepal.

On 11 December, International Mountain Day, The Killimanjaro Project launched a social media campaign to raise funds to plant trees in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The goal of the campaign, titled “Gift a Tree to Kilimanjaro”, is to raise adequate funds to plant 1 million trees on Earth Day (22 April) 2018 as part of an initiative to plant 50 million trees in the Kilimanjaro Region over the next decade.

In celebration of International Mountain Day, the Development Communications Network (DEVCOM-Pakistan) hosted the seventh annual Pakistan Mountain Festival from 26 November to 18 December 2017 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The festival aimed to raise awareness of the challenges facing mountain ecosystems and communities. Activities included youth wall climbing and rock climbing competitions, a mountain film festival, cultural festivities, an exhibition of students’ paintings, and a clean-up of the Margalla Hills National Park’s Trail 5.

On 9-10 December 2017, the Hotel Le Méridien N'Fis together with several organizations held a celebration of International Mountain Day 2017 in Asni and Imlil, Morocco. Focused on the theme of “Mountains under pressure: climate, hunger, migration”, local children performed theatrical and musical pieces in the morning in various languages, followed by a round table on the topic of education and mountains. On 10 December, there was a guided visit at the Eco-Museum in Imlil.

International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains, to highlight opportunities and constraints in mountain development, and to build partnerships that will bring positive change. Each year, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) participates in and organizes events to further the Centre’s mission to improve lives and livelihoods of mountain people in the Hindu Kush Himalayas through sustainable development. To mark this occasion, ICIMOD Director General David Molden shared a message.