News

International Mountain Day 2022 celebrated around the world

11.01.2023

Under the theme "Women move mountains", governments, organizations and individuals in 46 countries organized over 93 events to mark International Mountain Day (IMD) 2022.

As the lead United Nations (UN) agency for coordinating the annual observance of the International Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported partners' events globally. FAO held a high-level event that spotlighted proven examples of how the Mountain Partnership Products Initiative empowers women-led business to scale-up and strengthen local economies. The event also showcased a video and fashion show illustrating the recent collaboration between the Peruvian women's collective Illariy Threads4Dreams and Stella Jean.

A second high-level event in Rome was hosted by the Department of Culture and Education of the Holy See, together with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, featuring a variety of mountain actors, including FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassadors, mountaineers and sustainable development experts, among others.

The publication Mountain women of the world: Challenges, resilience and collective power, produced by FAO together with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the Feminist Hiking Collective, was launched on the day. The study highlights the stories and voices of mountain women, with a focus on rural areas and mountain tourism.

An IMD photo contest on mountain women promoted by FAO received over 180 stunning photos from 34 countries. Vidyaman Thapa from Nepal won the contest for his photo "Organic farming in Sarkegad Humla".

Outreach was impressive with more than 100 articles in major national and international news outlets, including an editorial by FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo. Over 4 250 tweets with the hashtag #MountainsMatter were delivered to more than 92 million Twitter timelines.

A journey around the world

From conferences and webinars, to group hikes and cultural activities, here is a global sampling of this year's observances – for the full list of IMD 2022 events, visit the IMD website.

Events with a global focus

Following the success of International Mountain Day webinars in 2020 and 2021, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Adaptation at Altitude programme presented another joint event for IMD with the theme "Women move mountains in adapting to climate change".

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, issued a statement on IMD, calling for support for mountains, their biodiversity and the women and girls of mountains.

The organization Cramars in collaboration with the WECHO – The Echo of Mountain Women conducted a video conference to spotlight the needs of mountain women and how to enable them to be the protagonists of their future in mountains.

IMD celebrations in Africa

The Government of Malawi held a National Advocacy and Awareness Conference on Mountains on 13 December in celebration of IMD.

In the United Republic of Tanzania, the Afri Nature Organization held a two-day workshop to increase the knowledge of the peoples living in the Uluguru Mountains about conserving the ecosystems.

The City of Diego Suarez in the north of Madagascar celebrated IMD with an event showcasing a project to strengthen protected areas and local development in the region. A demonstration plot for the management of erosion in the local watershed was presented.

The United Nations Development Programme Small Grants Programme published the photo story "Moving mountains: Enhancing food security for mountain communities in Lesotho" on IMD.

Commemorating IMD in the Americas

The Canadian Mountain Network and Mountain Sentinels hosted "Women Move Mountains", a dialogue on the theme of this year's IMD.

Western Colorado University's Center for Mountain Transitions hosted the online panel discussion "Women who move mountains", during which women from around the globe shared their mountain-focused work and passions.

The technical group on mountains of the National Institute for Research on Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems of Peru held a Facebook Live on the role women play in the protection of the environment and the sustainable social and economic development of mountain areas.

In celebration of Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup, Fundación ProYungas released a video on IMD comparing the sport of football to mountains.

In Costa Rica, the University for International Cooperation hosted a webinar on risk management in Central American mountain ecosystems.

IMD events in Asia, Near East and North Africa

The Government of Nepal together will partners hosted the three-day Sustainable Mountain Development Conference to discuss the progress made in made in mountain biodiversity and culture conservation, education, scientific research methods, tourism development and art.

The Balipara Foundation celebrated IMD through the tenth Eastern Himalayan Natureonmics Forum, which focused on how countries in the region could work together to drive adaptation and mitigation both upstream and downstream.

In Morocco, the ORO CLIMAT Forum held an event to raise awareness among civil society about the challenges of sustainable mountain development.

In the Philippines, the Salumayag Youth Collective for Forests – an Indigenous youth and women-led initiative that empowers local and Indigenous communities through regenerative practices and narratives – hosted a guided forest walk under the theme Mgo kamalitanan tu pug ayad tu ugpaanan (Women as stewards of the land, our home).

IMD celebrations across Europe

At European level, the Alpine Convention conducted its eighth annual Reading Mountains Festival to celebrate Alpine literature and culture. The MOVING project and Euromontana published a booklet titled "Women move Europe's mountains".

The Tatra Museum in Zakopane, Poland held a meeting featuring the voices of women that live in the Tatra Mountains.

The National Agency of the Mountain Area of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania together with partners hosted a hybrid scientific seminar on "Women – The engine of sustainability, stability and development of mountain communities".

Boğaziçi University's Department of Tourism Management and Applied Tourism Administration and Research Center held an event in partnership with FAO Türkiye and the Mountain Partnership to discuss the role of tourism on sustainable mountain development, focusing on the future of mountain communities and empowering mountain women.

To inform the MPS of your International Mountain Day 2022 activities if you have not done so already, or to share photos of your celebrations, please email [email protected].

View the IMD 2022 flickr album