Mountain Partnership members from Dagestan, Altai, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan celebrate International Mountain Day
14.12.2012
International Mountain Day 2012, commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the International Year of Mountains, was widely celebrated by Mountain Partnership (MP) members from Central Asia, Altai and Dagestan on December 11 with seed funding support from the Mountain Partnership Secretariat Hub at Mountain Societies Research Centre/University of Central Asia in Bishkek.
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
The Mountain Partnership Secretariat Central Asia hub at the University of Central Asia in close collaboration with the FAO Country Office, the Agha Khan Foundation and the Agha Khan Development Network (AKF/AKDN) in Kyrgyzstan held a marketplace for sustainable mountain development good practices in order to celebrate an important milestone for the mountain movement in the country and raise awareness on roles of mountains to life on the earth.
The marketplace aimed to showcase the contributions by Mountain Partnership (MP) members on the sidelines of the International Scientific and Practical Conference titled “Mountains and Climate” organized by the Bishkek-based MP members and the National Center on Mountain Development jointly with the Kyrgyz Government.
With memories still fresh for the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit and Kyrgyz Government initiative of holding the International Year of Mountains back in 2002, it was a good occasion for Kyrgyz stakeholders to gather together to take stock of what has been done and see who is who in the sustainable mountain development field.
The local organizations present at the marketplace clearly demonstrated that the topic of the mountain development itself is as diverse as the wide range of actors involved and that it requires multi-disciplinary approach.
It also highlighted the institutional growth of the civil society movement that has taken place in Kyrgyzstan. Many of these organizations have grown into mature and leading forces on sustainable mountain development.
The event was attended by the participants of the International Conference, and the multimedia format of the event allowed different corners of the world to be connected. As co-organizers the FAO Country office and AKF/AKDN in Kyrgyzstan contributed with a photo exhibition and demonstration of good practices.
A full photo report of the event by Mikhail Romanyiuk, UCA, is available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountainpartnership/sets/72157632233068423/
Khorog, Badakhshan, Tajikistan
The Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Reduction (CCCDR), an MP member in Tajikistan, jointly with the local NGO ‘Youth for mountain development’ and the University of Central Asia, organized a round table entitled ‘Youth and Mountain Development’. The goal of the event was to raise awareness on the importance of mountain ecosystems for climate change adaptation, and to discuss how youth can contribute to sustainable mountain development. The event was accompanied by a photo exhibition.
Gornyi Altaisk, Altai Republic of the Russian Federation
The ministry of economy and investments of the Altai Republic, jointly with the State University and MP member the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Altai (FSDA), held a conference titled ‘Mountain Partnership: outputs and perspectives for mountain communities and ecosystems’.
Among a number of other International Mountain Day activities, FSDA organized an event where the winners of the photo contest “People and Mountains” were announced, as well as organizations who have made an outstanding contribution to sustainable mountaind development in Altai. The event was accompanied by a folk concert.
Makhachkala, Dagestan
This year International Mountain Day was observed for the first time in the republic. The Association of Mountain Territories of Dagestan, a member of the Mountain Partnership, organized a children's art competition, 'Mountains Through Children's Eyes', involving the republic's secondary schools. As a part of its International Mountain Day activity plan, the Association also implemented a wide scale information campaign on national TV and printed media, including a TV program on sustainable mountain development, as well as a press tour to five mountain areas to highlight local challenges.
For more International Mountain Day activities, see http://www.fao.org/forestry/internationalmountainday/80416/en/
|
