International Year of Mountains 2002 Japan

This is the eighth 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.

List of national committees grows

In addition to the global launch of the International Year of Mountains in New York on 11 December 2001, many national committees are organizing their own events to celebrate the start of the Year.

The number of countries that have established or are planning to establish a national committee for the International Year of Mountains is now 54. The latest countries to come on board are:

* Andorra
* Cote d'Ivoire
* Equatorial Guinea
* Lesotho
* Sierra Leone
* Syria
* Viet Nam

The Republic of Korea has gone from the planning stages and has established its national committee.

In addition, New Zealand and Tanzania have recently named a contact person within their governments to help plan and coordinate International Year of Mountains activities.

For information about national committees and country contacts, visit the Action section of the International Year of Mountains Web site at www.mountains2002.org.

Global events update

The dates of some major global events have changed since they were first announced.

* The Johannesburg 2002: The World Summit on Sustainable Development (also known as 'Rio + 10') will be held 26 August to 4 September.

* The II International Meeting of Mountain Ecosystems, "Peru, country of mountains towards 2020: Water, life and production" will take place 12 to 14 June in Hauraz, Peru.

* The Banff Mountain Summit - Extreme Landscapes: Challenge and Celebration will be held 27 to 29 October in Banff, Canada.

The Bishkek Mountain Summit, the event that will help to consolidate much of the work carried out during 2002, has launched its own Web site. It can be reached at the following address: http://www.mediantics.com/mountainsummit/

For the latest information about the many International Year of Mountains events planned this year, check the events database on the Mountain Forum and the official International Year of Mountains web sites. The Web site of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) also has a useful events calendar.

Interest rising

There is no doubt that the Internet is serving as a major communications tool for delivering information about the International Year of Mountains to many audiences. In December, the official International Year of Mountains Web site, which is maintained by the IYM Coordination Unit at FAO, received nearly 10 000 hits a day, for a monthly total of nearly 300 000 hits. Interest was highest the day after the 11 December global launch of the International Year of Mountains in New York. That day the site registered 13 000 hits.

At the IYM Coordination Unit, we are working to improve the site's content, design and responsiveness and believe that these improvements will help to attract even higher levels of visitors. We encourage those of you who are planning International Year of Mountains events to let us know. We may be able to post your information and stories on the site and spread the news around the world.

Something for the kids

'Junior Focus', a magazine published in the United Kingdom for teachers of students ages 7 to 11, dedicated its January issue to mountains and helped spread the word about the International Year of Mountains. An extremely valuable teaching resource, the 'Junior Focus' mountain issue is filled with photos, illustrations and posters. It provides teachers with many of the tools they need to help students learn about the concept of sustainability in mountain regions, the importance of mountains as sources of fresh water and a wide range of other topics.

For more information contact: Scholastic LTD - Villiers House Clarendon Avenue - Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 5PR, United Kingdom Tel: + 01926 887799 / Fax: + 01926 883331 Web site: www.scholastic.co.uk

Contact 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 IYM Coordination Unit at FAO at info@mountains2002.org.