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Highlights from Friday 23, May 2014
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The World Mountain Forum opened on Friday, 23 May 2014, in Cusco, Peru, with introductory remarks followed by a session in the morning on climate change and a session in the afternoon on family farming.
In opening addresses, speakers discussed, among other things: the need for dialogue on sustainable mountain development (SMD) in order to contribute to international processes such as the post-2015 development agenda and climate change negotiations; the consequences of climate change in mountain regions; the sacred nature of mountains to some local communities; and the need to “transform words into actions.”
The climate change session included panels on water resources, ecosystems and climate change adaptation. Speakers discussed, inter alia, the inclusion of climate change adaptation issues in national development action plans; knowledge gaps related to climate change adaptation in mountainous regions, including a lack of understanding of downstream implications; and indigenous water management practices in mountain regions.
Consisting of a series of presentations, in which several panelists highlighted 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming, the family farming session concluded with a policy dialogue in which panelists considered how to improve incomes and quality of life for mountain populations, address youth migration and compensate mountain communities for their stewardship of ecosystem services. In discussions, participants highlighted, inter alia, the threats to mountains from mining, existing mountain community networks in Andean countries and how to finance energy systems in mountain communities. |
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| José Félix Pinto-Bazurco, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peru; Silveiro Choquenaira, farmer, Peru; Alberto Paniagua, Peruvian Trust Fund for National Parks and Protected Areas, Peru; Eusebio Ingol Blanco, National Water Authority, Peru; Dhrupad Choudhury, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); and Khavrullo Ibodzoda, State Committee on Environmental Protection, Tajikistan |
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Highlights from Saturday 24, May 2014
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On Saturday, 24 May, WMF participants met for the second and final day of the Forum. In the morning, participants split into two parallel sessions, one on mountain communities and the other on mountain cities. In the afternoon, they convened in plenary for summaries of session themes and outcomes, as well as a high-level panel discussion and a closing ceremony.
Mountain communities session participants heard presentations on governance and local knowledge in mountain communities in Iran, the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, Romania, Kyrgyzstan and the Andes. This was followed by a panel discussion on the impact of mining on mountain ecosystems and communities.
Mountain cities session participants heard presentations on: the need to recognize the value of mountain ecosystems and services; Quechua perceptions of ecosystems, water and mountains; and how to connect the themes of energy, development and culture in the context of mountains and cities. Two parallel working groups then convened, on water and mountain cities, and on sustainable investment in mountain cities, followed by a joint plenary discussion.
In the afternoon, participants heard summaries from the WMF’s four thematic sessions on: climate change; family farming; mountain communities; and mountain cities. A high level roundtable then discussed a number of issues, including the importance of mainstreaming mountains into the sustainable development goals and the role of civil society in providing information and resources to mountain communities. A synthesis matrix of outcomes was opened for a participatory discussion, followed by closing statements from Miguel Saravia, CONDESAN, Flavia Nabugere, Minister of Water and Environment, Uganda, and Mariano Castro, Vice-Minister of Environment, Peru. The meeting closed at 6:53pm. |
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Daily Web Coverage
(click on the following links to see our daily web pages)
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Forum resources
 Forum website
Forum tentative programme
Forum topics
IISD RS resources
IISD RS coverage of the Fourth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, 17-19 October 2013, Erzurum, Turkey
IISD RS coverage of Mountain Day 2 - “Mainstreaming Rio+20 outcomes in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes for prosperous, resilient, and sustainable mountain ecosystems and communities,” 3 December 2012, Doha, Qatar
IISD RS briefing note of the Meeting of the Mountain Focus Group, 14 December 2011, UN headquarters, New York, United States of America (HTML - PDF)
IISD RS coverage of Mountain Day, 4 December 2011, Durban, South Africa
IISD RS coverage of the International Conference on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development - “Opportunities and Challenges in View of Rio+20”, 5-7 September 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal
IISD RS coverage of the International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions (SARD), 16-20 June 2002, Adelboden, Switzerland
IISD RS coverage of the Launch of the International Year of Mountains (IYM) , 11 December 2001, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America
IISD RS archive of sustainable development meetings
SDG - A mailing list for news on sustainable development policy
Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of International Activities Preparing for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development
SDG - A mailing list focused on internationally-relevant activities related to setting the post-2015 development agenda
Sustainable Development Policy & Practice - A Knowledgebase of UN and Intergovernmental Post-2015 Development Agenda Activities
Linkages Update - Bi-weekly international environment and sustainable development news
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World Mountain Forum (WMF)
