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MP members featured in 2014 IMD video

02.12.2014

To spur worldwide celebrations of International Mountain Day (IMD) on 11 December, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat has produced a three-minute video, highlighting the vital role of mountains in sustaining livelihoods across the globe. The IMD video is told in the voices of the Mountain Partnership members, who were gathered in Erzurum, Turkey, for the Fourth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership to chart a pathway to collectively promote sustainable mountain development (SMD).

Emphasizing the contributions of mountain ecosystems, Paul Mafabi of the Government of Uganda says that mountains are important for the socio-economic development of all countries in the world while Valerie Ramahavalisoa of the Government of Madagascar underscores the need to invest in mountain development.

Around a billion people depend on mountains for crucial resources, such as water, food, energy and minerals. Mountains provide goods and services not only to people living in mountains but also to millions living in downstream, asserts Abdhesh Gangwar of the Centre for Environment Education Himalaya.

Examples of how mountains supply water (to more than half of humanity) are provided by Karinjo DeVore of the Aspen International Mountain Foundation and Habib Abid of the Government of Tunisia, who explain that millions of people in the western United States and drought-prone northern Africa depend on them. Predicting that mountains will matter even more in the future, Bruno Messerli of the University of Bern, Switzerland, declares that mountains will be key in addressing water and energy scarcity in about 20 to 30 years. 

Sam Kanyamibwa of the Albertine Rift Conservation Society, Baldomero Casillo of the Government of Argentina, Eklabya Sharma of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and Jurant Dika of the Government of Macedonia recall that IMD strengthens partnerships and coordinated efforts for mountains regions.

The cultural significance of mountains is captured by Musuq Briceño  of the Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion, who states that the Andes hold immense cultural meaning for local populations. In the interview, Vicente Chelet of the Municipality of Dénia, Spain, refers to mountains as the ‘pharmacies of the soul’ while Alexandr Alchubaev of the Government of the Altai Republic explains that his Central Asian country is called “Golden Mountains” due to the spiritual significance of mountains. The resounding message of the video is #welovemountains.

The 11 December was designated International Mountain Day by the UN, aiming to raise awareness about the myriad benefits that humanity draws from mountains.

Watch the video in English and Spanish