International Year of Mountains 2002 Japan
This is the fifth newsletter about preparations for the International Year of Mountains. It was prepared by the IYM Coordination Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the UN lead agency for coordinating the Year.
New IYM events calendar on-lineThe new Web-based calendar database, developed collaboratively by the Mountain Forum and FAO, is now on-line at www.mountains2002.org/events http://www.mountains2002.org/events. You can reach this page by visiting the Calendar sections of the IYM official Website at www.mountains2002.org and the Mountain Forum Website at www.mtnforum.org. The calendar can be searched using dates, locations, themes and other key words. To make this calendar more comprehensive, send information about coming events to the webmasters of these sites.
Major events planned
The International Year of Mountains is just three months away. The number of observers involved and events being planned are growing rapidly. At FAO, we are helping event organizers to link events, share information and work collaboratively. Here are some major events to add to your calendar.
World Mountain Symposium
*30 September to 4 October 200, Interlaken, Switzerland *organized by the Centre for Development and Environment *will highlight the importance of the world's mountains and highland-lowland interactions, with a particular emphasis on developing countries and countries in transition
IYM official launch
*11 December 2001, New York, USA *organized by FAO and other UN and NGO partners, with support and guidance from the New York IYM Focus Group, which includes the Permanent Representatives to the UN from Austria, Bhutan, Bolivia, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Peru, Slovenia and Switzerland *formal launch ceremony followed by informal events
International Conference of Mountain Children
*Spring 2002, Uttaranchal, India *brings together children from more than 50 mountain countries to help shape the future by contributing to a global agenda for the International Year of Mountains and beyond.
Inonal Conference of Mountain Children
*Spring 2002, Uttaranchal, India *brings together children from more than 50 mountain countries to help shape the future by contributing to a global agenda for the International Year of Mountains and beyond.
High Summit 2002
*6 to 10 May 2002 *organized by the Italian IYM National Committee *main event consists of an interactive videoconference, which will be broadcast simultaneously from places situated near the highest peak of each continent
Celebrating Mountain Women
*28 to 31 May 2002, Kathmandu, Nepal *organized by ICIMOD and the Mountain Forum *international gathering will focus on the positive contributions of mountain women to local and national economies and launch a long-term programme for mountain women at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
World Summit on Sustainable Development
*September 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa *IYM observance is being planned
2nd World Meeting of Mountain Populations
*20 to 24 September 2002, Quito, Ecuador *organized by the Association of Mountain Populations of the World *representatives of 115 countries will discuss mountain issues
Banff Mountain Summit 2002
*27 October to 3 November 2002, Banff National Park, Canada *organized by the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture *mountain community leaders will consider the environmental and cultural challenges of the future
Bishkek Global Mountain Summit
*28 October to 1 November 2002, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan *may involve about 1,000 participants and build on the outcomes of other major IYM events that precede it *A Bishkek declaration is proposed as an output
National initiatives underway
As of 7 August, 35 countries have established national committees and many other governments have designated national focal points for IYM observance. Information about the work of national committees and contact information for more than 50 countries is available in the Action section of the IYM Website at www.mountains2002.org http://www.mountains2002.org.
Conference on Ecotourism in Mountain Areas held in Austria
The European preparatory conference for the International Year of Ecotourism was convened by Austria, the World Tourism Organization and UNEP on 12 to 15 September near Salzburg, Austria. FAO, as the lead UN agency for the International Year of Mountains, was invited to speak on the links between these two international years. David Harcharik, Deputy Director General of FAO stressed in his speech to the plenary session that ecotourism could play a constructive role in the sustainable development of the world's mountain regions. (Douglas McGuire, head of the IYM Coordination Unit at FAO, delivered the speech.) For a copy of Mr. Harcharik's speech, visit the IYM official Website at www.mountains2002.org http://www.mountains2002.org.
We are all mountain people
The IYM Coordination Unit has developed a slogan to promote the International Year of Mountains. "We are all mountain people" will soon be available in electronic formats in English, French and Spanish on the IYM official Website. The slogan, which accompanies the IYM logo, highlights the interdependence of lowland and highland communities and the importance of the world's mountains as sources of fresh water and repositories of biodiversity. New visual identity guidelines are also available on the Website. The guidelines encourage consistent use of the slogan and logo and provide important details on requirements for commercial and fundraising uses.
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.org or contact the IYM Coordination Unit at FAO:info@mountains2002.org.