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Nearly 200 people gathered in the German Alps to celebrate International Mountain Day 2019. The Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus (UFS) in Germany, together with the Landratsamt Garmisch-Partenkirchen, organized the celebration near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The event combined politics, science and culture to foster awareness of mountain-related topics among a wide audience. Stefan Dech from the German Space Agency presented about the “mountains seen from space“, followed by a panel discussion between a scientist, an environmental medicine doctor, and tourism advocates. The celebration concluded [...]

Makerere University in Uganda celebrated International Mountain Day 2019! The Mountain Resource Centre of the university organized an excursion to the Kween district, one of the remote districts in Mount Elgon, Uganda. The hikers engaged with local youth to understand their successes and challenges in their various initiatives, including tree nurseries, river bank tree planting and agriculture. The university also held a round-table discussion on youth initiatives both in rural mountain areas and at the national level. The students participated [...]

The Association for Sustainability and Governance of Mountainous Areas and Dokuz Eylül University came together to celebrate International Mountain Day 2019 in İzmir, Turkey.  The two groups jointly organized a discussion between the public and university students about the effective governance model of mountainous areas awareness.

The Nilgiri Documentation Centre in India held an International Mountain Day painting class in which indigenous artist Gokul Gowder taught youth how to paint mountain landscapes.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ms Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, provided a statement on the occasion of International Mountain Day 2019. She writes, "On this International Mountain Day, and in honour of its theme 'Mountains matter for youth,' let us work to empower youth to protect these essential mountain ecosystems. Let us travel together on the road of transition to a future of life in harmony with nature."

Dokuz Eylul University will celebrate their sixth annual International Mountain Day event on 11 December in Izmir, Turkey. The university is organizing a high-level workshop, titled "Sustainable Governance of Mountainous Areas and Society 5.0", which involves the public, the private sector, civil society and the Izmir Governorship.

Albanian Alps Alliance chairperson Petrit Imeraj will give an interview on local media about the importance of mountains on International Mountain Day 2019. The interview is part of the launch of the latest initiative of the Albanian Network for Rural Development: the "Rural Youth Hub", which involves rural youth, entrepreneurs and farmers who are motivated to participate in rural development. The selected participates will partake in a three-day workshop, from 12 to 14 December, to explore the topic of Albania’s [...]

Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada are convening to celebrate International Mountain Day 2019. A few professors and researchers from the university will speak on 11 December about mountain ecosystems to a general public audience. The event will highlight the importance of mountains and generate consciousness of the need to preserve these environments. Photo from Jack D. Ives

On December 2, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), observed International Mountain Day for the 10th year. Their IMD event included a number of speakers and a celebration of local contributors to sustainable mountain development. Photo from Cory Levin, UIMF

The Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO) and partners celebrated International Mountain Day with their “Mountain, Sport and Sustainable Development Days” from 13 to 14 December. The first day of the event was a conference session that brought together a diverse group of speakers, including athletes, politicians, sporting associations and researchers. The alpinist Ângelo Figueiras (Seven Summits climber) was the guest speaker of the event, bringing his experiences and motivation to the session comprised mostly of students. Nearly 90 people [...]