Andean Initiative of the Mountain Partnership

Strengthening Participatory Management for the Sustainable Development of the Andes

Six Andean governments - Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia – worked together on a Technical Cooperation Project (TCP) funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization and promoted by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat to strengthen and expand institutional capacity for promoting sustainable mountain development in the region.

The project, implemented by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat in collaboration with the FAO Regional Office for Latin America, aimed to improve the participatory management of natural resources in the Andes by strengthening national institutions, increasing political attention and training, and increasing knowledge about mountain ecosystems.

It also focused on promoting regional dialogue and transboundary cooperation on mountain issues and to identify the different activities, strategies and policies being implemented in the Andean mountain region at local, national and regional levels.

National country assessments have been produced on the “state of play” of mountain areas in the six countries.

In addition, the project supported existing National Mountain Committees - comprising government bodies and non-governmental organizations working on sustainable mountain development in each country - and promoted their establishment in countries where they do not yet exist.

The exchange of knowledge created by the project will assist and inform policy makers as well as non-governmental agencies and communities living in mountain areas. Formal steps are underway to create a a regional mechanism for continuing this fruitful dialogue and cooperation.