Elected to the Steering Committee of the Mountain Partnership at its fifth Global Meeting in December, the MRI looks forward to fruitful collaboration towards achieving the shared goal of sustainable mountain development worldwide.

Over 220 participants attended the fifth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, coming together in Rome 11-13 December to tackle the issue of ‘Mountains Under Pressure: Climate, Hunger, and Migration.’ Fittingly, the first day of the meeting coincided with International Mountain Day, a chance to both celebrate these incredible landforms and highlight the threats to them.

To open proceedings, statements commending the progress of the Mountain Partnership since its formation 15 years ago were given by its founding members, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the governments of Italy and Switzerland, and the United Nations Environment Programme. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, was then invited to the stage to hold his keynote speech on climate change and the scientific imperative for mountain regions, as was the MRI’s own Executive Director, Dr. Carolina Adler, who gave a keynote presentation on behalf of Prof. Martin Price. Titled ‘Climate Change in the Mountains: Trends, Impacts, Challenges and Opportunities,’ Carolina Adler’s presentation provided an overview of the work that the mountain scientific community is currently undertaking in the context of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sixth assessment cycle.

Towards sustainable mountain development
A Framework for Action was launched, in which all members of the Mountain Partnership commit to increasing efforts towards the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In doing so, they aim to secure the contribution of resilient mountain ecosystems and communities to a sustainable world. Mountain Partnership members then considered the challenges and responses of the Framework for Action, concluding this discussion with a panel session showcasing practical approaches for its successful implementation. Subsequently, work priorities for the next four years, organized around the Mountain Partnership’s functions of advocacy, capacity development, joint action, and communication, were identified.

In addition to activities and discussions during the day, a series of evening side-events were also held. These included a session convened and co-chaired by the MRI at which academics and practitioners from diverse backgrounds shared their experiences with science and research in addressing key policy and practice-relevant problems.

New momentum
On the third and final day, following a dynamic period of advocacy and endorsement, the Mountain Partnership elected its Steering Committee – with the MRI chosen to represent global civil society organizations.
 
“The MRI is thrilled to have this opportunity to help galvanize Mountain Partnership members globally in working and contributing to the Mountain Partnership’s newly launched Framework for Action,” said Carolina Adler of the decision.

The MRI will serve on the Steering Committee from 2017 to 2021, supporting the provision of programmatic orientation and overseeing the preparation of a four-year strategy and two-year work plan. It will also monitor the work of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, the implementation of the Framework, and the achievements and impacts of its respective electoral group.

“We fully endorse the Framework, and look forward to working towards this goal with the other newly-appointed Steering Committee members,” Carolina Adler added. “We anticipate a fruitful and successful collaboration.” 

For further information and a full summary of the event, please visit the Mountain Partnership website.