International Year of Mountains 2002 Japan
This is the tenth newsletter about events and activities taking place during the International Year of Mountains. It was prepared by the International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN lead agency for coordinating the Year.
List of national committees growsThe number of countries that have established or are planning to establish a national committee for the International Year of Mountains is now 60. The latest countries to come on board are:
* Argentina
* Bangladesh
* Chile
* Lebanon
* Liberia
* Philippines
Pakistan and Sierra Leone both have moved from the planning stages to having national committees. In addition, Papua New Guinea has recently named a contact person within its Government to help plan and coordinate International Year of Mountains activities.
Although it's already March, it's not too late to establish a national committee for the International Year of Mountains. National committees are expected to act as a forum where a broad range of stakeholders can meet to identify challenges facing mountain communities and ecosystems and discuss strategies to work toward sustainable mountain development. In many countries, such a forum does not exist. Therefore, establishing a national committee for the International Year of Mountains can mark a significant step forward in the long-term process that is required to reach national sustainable mountain development goals.
For the latest information about national committees and their country contacts, visit the Action section of the International Year of Mountains Web site at www.mountains2002.org.
Toolkits coming on-line
Visit the International Year of Mountains Web site at www.mountains2002.org on April 15 and you will find a renewed site, with many new tools to help national committees and other observers of the International Year of Mountains celebrate and communicate about mountains. The tools include a handbook, presentations, brochures, posters and other promotional tools. In May, the International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit will also make available additional promotional tools, including print, radio and video public service announcements. All of the toolkit materials will be available in English, French and Spanish. Many will be available in Arabic, Chinese and Russian as well.
Many of these tools are available now. Just send a message requesting toolkit materials to: info@mountains2002.org. Look out for a special toolkit notice from the International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit when other materials become ready for distribution. For those who can't access the materials over the Internet, please let us know and we will send you the either in CD-ROM or printed format.
Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is coordinating the production of ten thematic papers as part of preparations for the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit, which will be held from 28 October to 1 November 2002 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. These papers will serve as the basis of the Bishkek Mountain Platform, an action plan for future sustainable mountain development. The ten themes are:
* Conflicts and peace in mountain areas
* Mountain tourism and the conservation and maintenance of biological and cultural diversity
* Sustainable livelihoods and poverty alleviation
* Mountain infrastructure: access, communications, energy
* Institutions for democratic and decentralized sustainable mountain development
* The role of education, science and culture for sustainable mountain developmen
* Water, natural resources, hazards, desertification and the implications of climate change
* Legal, economic, and compensation mechanisms in support of sustainable mountain development
* International and regional agreements and cooperation and sustainable mountain development
* National policies and institutions for sustainable mountain development
Each draft thematic paper will be posted and made available for review and comments on the Mountain Forum Web site. Seven of these draft papers, along with commentary, are already available at:
http://www.mtnforum.org/bgms/schedule.htm.The other three papers will be posted and available for review in April.
Prominent international figures in sustainable mountain development have been commissioned to act as lead authors in preparing the first drafts of these papers. FAO is responsible for the paper on national policies and institutions for sustainable mountain development.
Major IYM events on the horizon
The Bishkek Summit will be the major closing event for the International Year of Mountains. But there are many other important events coming up soon. With three major conferences, May will be a particularly active month. From 6 to 10 May, the Italian National Committee will hold the High Summit 2002. This major global event consists of an interactive videoconference broadcast simultaneously from places situated near some of the world's highest peaks.
A week later, from 15 to 23 May, the International Conference on Mountain Children will take place in Uttaranchal, India. And from 28 to 31 May, the conference, Celebrating Mountain Women, will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. For more information about these conferences, visit the following Web sites:
High Summit 2002
http://www.montagna.org/high-summit/index.aspInternational Conference on Mountain Children
http://www.rachnahimalaya.com/ICMC.htmlCelebrating Mountain Women
http://www.mtnforum.org/calendar/events/0205mwaa.htmContact Us
If you are organizing events and activities, please let us know. For more information, visit the International Year of Mountains Web site at www.mountains2002.org or contact the International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit at FAO at info@mountains2002.org.