Women and men play key roles with respect to environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas. Women are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity and the main actors in terms of agriculture, animal husbandry and other small scale economic activities. In mountain communities, women are keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture and experts in traditional medicine.
However, women mountain dwellers are often invisible and their voices go unheard. They rarely participate in decisions affecting the management and use of local resources; they often lack basic rights, have little access to ownership and land tenure rights, education, health services and training. Since women and girls have less access to household resources, they are at a greater risk of hunger and malnutrition.
As men migrate to lowlands areas or abroad in search of better income, women are left to manage the farm and household and participate in small trade and income-earning activities. Yet lack of access to credit hampers efforts to improve or expand their farm activities and earn cash incomes.Inaccessibility shapes the lives of mountain communities. Further, the challenges men and women face in mountain regions is intensified by altitude, steep terrain and isolation.
![]() 67th session of the Commission on the Status of WomeneventThe sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 67) will take place from 6 to 17 March 2023. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations from all regions of the world are invited to contribute to the session. On Wednesday, 8 March 2023 (International Women's... Read more » |
![]() Advancing sustainable mountain development recognized as a commitment of action ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conferencepeak to peakThe March 2023 issue of Peak to Peak highlights a commitment of action titled "Advancing sustainable mountain development and protecting the 'water towers' of the world" submitted by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Top news stories announce the call for applications for IPROMO 2023,... Download » |
![]() Mountain studies: Understanding and managing mountains for people and naturepublicationKarakoram International University (KIU), Gilgit published a book (edited volume) entitled Mountain studies: Understanding and managing mountains for people and nature. The book was an outcome of a project under the U.S. – Pakistan University Partnerships Grants Program, funded by United States Government through the United States Educational Foundation in... Download » |
![]() Utah student coalition advocates for mountains in 2022, plans for 2023newsSince 2011, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) – a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), a member of the Mountain Partnership – has used the student-engaged learning (SEL) method to advocate for the sustainable development of mountain communities and for mountain families, women, and girls in... Read more » |
![]() Women move mountains – High-level IMD event with a fashion show by Stella JeaneventFashion can play a significant role in empowering rural and marginalized women in mountain communities across the world, promoting their economic independence by receiving a sustainable source of income and seeing women as agents of change. A fashion show will be held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the... Read more » |
![]() Mountain women of the world – Challenges, resilience and collective powerpublicationWomen play a key role in environmental protection and social and economic development in mountain areas. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity and keepers of traditional knowledge. Empowering rural women is crucial to eradicating hunger and poverty. Yet, due to discriminatory social norms, rural... Download » |
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