International Year of Mountains 2002 Japan

This is the second of a regular series of informal monthly newsletters on preparations for the International Year of Mountains 2002 (IYM). It has been prepared by the IYM Coordination Unit at FAO, the UN lead agency responsible for coordinating the IYM.

Mountain side event at CSD 9

During the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 9), held recently in New York, a side event on mountains and the IYM was organized and sponsored by a number of countries under the leadership of Switzerland and Austria. The event, held on 17 April, was attended by some 50 participants and included a presentation made by the Swiss Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) on the most recent in the series of Swiss brochures that have been produced annually to coincide with CSD sessions. This year's theme focused on "Mountains of the World ƒ~ mountains, energy and transport". In addition, FAO made a general presentation on the IYM and representatives of the Mountain Forum introduced that important network. A strong appeal went out to countries to engage in national level initiatives for the IYM and country representatives in New York expressed considerable enthusiasm for the IYM.

IYM launch

Preparations for holding the official IYM launch are now getting under way. The launch process will consist of both a formal and informal component. 11 December has been set as the date to hold the official launch ceremony at the UN in New York during the upcoming session of the General Assembly. FAO's Director-General, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly will be among the major speakers. Following the formal launch ceremony, a series of informal events are being planned throughout the week. These are expected to include a panel discussion with prominent mountain experts, a variety of cultural events focussing on mountain music, cuisine, etc., and other activities to promote the IYM.

Major IYM-related events

Cusco workshop: The "International Workshop on Mountain Ecosystems: A Vision of the Future" was held on 25-27, April in Cusco, Peru. This important IYM-related event was prepared and organized by the National Working Group for Mountains in Peru (Peru's IYM national committee) and involved more than 150 participants from around the world. The three days of discussions led to the adoption of the "Cusco Declaration" and a call for close collaboration and networking among IYM national committees in Latin America. For further details please contact: Maria Cecilia Rozas, Ministra Consejera, Directora de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Lampa 545 Lima 1, Peru - Tel: (51 1) 311 2626 ƒ~ e-mail: mrozas@rree.gob.pe.

Rio +10: The CSD has recommended that the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) be held next year in Johannesburg 2-11 September. The Conference had earlier been scheduled for June 2002. The exact nature of an IYM observance activity at this event is still to be determined. IYM Conference in Kyrgyzstan: The Republic of Kyrgyzstan has proposed to host the "Bishkek Global Mountain Summit" in late 2002. This would very likely be the final IYM-focused event of 2002 and would attempt to build on the outcome of other major IYM events that precede it. A project proposal has been developed and if adequate funds can be raised, an International Advisory Board will be established by Krygyzstan to advise the government in the preparatory process. Likely outputs of this event would be a Bishkek platform or declaration and a draft resolution to be considered by the UN General Assembly at its end of year session in 2002.

Country-level preparations

Preparing for IYM at country level continues to be a high priority. The establishment of national committees is the main mechanism countries are choosing to plan and carry out their IYM observance. The majority of IYM national committees include representatives of government agencies, NGOs and in some cases the private sector, and are pursuing a multistakeholder approach to the IYM. To date, approximately 30 countries have established or are in the process of setting-up IYM national committees.

Contact Us

If you are organizing IYM-related events and activities, please let us know.
For more information go to the IYM website at
http://www.mountains2002.orgor contact the IYM Coordination Unit at FAO:info@mountains2002.org.