News

Final call for mountains

10.06.2014

As the final round of discussions on the sustainable development goals (SDG) comes to a close, Mountain Partnership members are rallying support to ensure that recognition of mountains and the goods and services they provide to humankind are duly recognized and included in the final SDG document.

“The latest draft is very disappointing. In spite of our collective efforts, mountains have basically disappeared from the text. Indeed, they are mentioned only once under terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity,” says Thomas Hofer, Mountain Partnership Secretariat Coordinator. “We believe that having mountains mentioned at least in those goals for which mountains have a strategic and universal importance – water, energy and terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity – would better support mountain development in the Post-2015 development agenda.”

With the support of MP members, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat has yesterday distributed a revised draft highlighting the insertion of mountains as well as a statement to be delivered to the Co-Chair of the Open Working Group (OWG). The additions proposed will ensure that the contributions of mountain ecosystems are taken into account in this post 2015 process as they were in Rio 1992 with the Chapter 13 of the Agenda 21 and in Rio+20 with the three mountain paragraphs of the Future We Want document.

The Secretariat has suggested to members to follow up directly with their countries either through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the country mission to the United Nations who are involved in the negotiations. The upcoming OWG 12th session will be held in New York on 16-20 June and the final OWG 13th session on 14-18 July.

Download the statement

Photo: Alma Uzbekova