UNGA 64: Sustainable Mountain Development

 

 

64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Introduction of the Secretary-General’s Report on Sustainable Mountain Development

Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, Director, FAO Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York

 

Excellencies,
Honourable Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to be with you here today to present the UN Secretary General’s Report on Sustainable Mountain Development.  It is also an occasion to highlight the international community’s increasing commitment and action to better the lives and livelihoods of mountain people and to protect mountain environments around the world.   

Mountains are fragile ecosystems that are globally important as the source of half of the planet’s freshwater. They are repositories of rich biological diversity, popular destinations for recreation and tourism and areas of important cultural diversity, knowledge and heritage. Mountain ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to the impact of global warming and are early indicators of climate change.

Covering about one quarter of the world’s land surface, mountains provide a direct life-support base for about 12 per cent of the world population, as well as essential goods and services to more than half of humankind. Consequently, there is a need to ensure the ecological health and the economic and social improvement of mountain areas, for the sake of both mountain inhabitants and people living in lowland areas. The combination of food and economic crises has pushed the number of hungry people worldwide to historic levels — more than one billion people are undernourished, according to the most recent FAO hunger report. Many of the world’s most impoverished and food-insecure people live in mountain regions.

Awareness of the importance of mountain peoples and environments has increased since the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 at the Earth Summit in 1992. Commitments were strengthened during 2002 with the International Year of Mountains and the World Summit on Sustainable Development  which resulted with the launch of the Mountain Partnership, a global alliance aiming at protecting the mountain environment and enhancing the livelihood of mountain communities. Yet, despite this growing awareness and despite achieving many positive results, there are still key challenges to achieving sustainable development and poverty alleviation in mountains - consistent with the Millennium Development Goals.

The growing demand for natural resources including water and wood, the consequence of erosion, deforestation and other forms of watershed degradation, the increasing occurrence of natural disasters, as well as increasing out-migration, the pressures of industry, transport, mining, agriculture and the consequences of global climate change are some of the key challenges in fragile mountain ecosystems.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We at FAO are honoured to have served as the United Nation’s lead agency for the International Year of Mountains in 2002, to be hosting the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and to have collaborated with governments, and other UN agencies as well as non-governmental organizations, in bringing mountain issues to world attention. And we are building on that momentum in our role as lead coordinating agency for International Mountain Day celebrated on 11 December every year with this year’s focus on Disaster Risk Management.

Every two years, FAO with the Mountain Partnership Secretariat prepares the UNSG report in collaboration with Governments, relevant agencies of the United Nations system and other organizations.  The UNSG  report describes the status of sustainable mountain development at the national and international levels, including an overall analysis of the challenges that lie ahead, and provides suggestions for consideration by the Assembly as to how to continue to promote and effectively sustain development in mountain regions around the world within the existing policy context. It is a collection of contributions that aim to provide an adequate overview of the results, impacts and positive changes achieved since 2007. 

The Secretary-General’s report clearly shows that much of the substantive work -- the creation of policies and programmes that will make a real difference to the lives of mountain people -- is being done by countries themselves. Examples range from the new Ecuador Constitution which focuses on the environmental conservation of mountain ecosystems to the adoption in Kyrgyzstan of a new law that radically changes the pasture management system. And there are many others, all listed in the report.

At the international level, education, climate change, indigenous issues, high quality products and value chain approaches, ecosystem management, improved governance of natural resources are just some of the issues that are being addressed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the period since the Secretary General last reported to the General Assembly on the topic of sustainable mountain development significant progress as been made. Nevertheless much remains to be done:   

Encourage the creation of national committees, or similar institutional arrangements, for promoting Sustainable Mountain Development or the strengthening of the existing ones.  Promote the establishment of regional mechanisms for coordinated transboundary cooperation and learn from existing ones such as the Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention. Support the collaborative efforts of the Mountain Partnership and encourage the further involvement of governments, civil society and private sector.

Promote education, extension and capacity building programmes among local mountain communities. Accelerate efforts to enhance awareness and data research about the effects of climate change. Promote the development of high quality, environment friendly products as a means to improve mountain livelihoods. Ensure that indigenous cultures are fully recognized and included in development policy and planning in mountain regions, just to cite a few.

There is a clear need for higher levels of funding and investment in mountain areas, enhanced coordination and collaboration, and a stronger enabling environment with more supportive laws, policies and institutions.

In conclusion, I would encourage you to consider the findings, recommendations and proposals in the Secretary-General’s report. I believe it can inspire and guide us in our continued and concerted efforts to better the livelihoods of mountain people and protect fragile mountain environments around the world. 

Thank you.