Launching Event of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development

The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared the year 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, following a proposal of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. A global high-level event launched the celebrations of the International Year and promoted global commitments toward the protection of these vulnerable ecosystems and the building of resilience of mountain peoples.

Titled “International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, 2022” (document A/76/L.28), the UNGA resolution was sponsored by 94 governments and adopted on 16 December 2021. It aims to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable mountain development and the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems. It invites the Mountain Partnership, in collaboration with all relevant organizations, to facilitate the observance of the International Year. The Mountain Partnership is a UN voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. It currently has more than 400 members, including governments, intergovernmental organizations, major groups, and subnational authorities. It is supported by a Secretariat hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).

The year 2022 also marks the 20th anniversary of the first International Year devoted to mountains (International Year of Mountains 2002) as well as the 20th anniversary of the Mountain Partnership. The launch event of the International Year was held online on 28 April 2022, from 15:30 – 17:00 Rome time, under the theme “Mountains Matter: For people and the planet.”