The Nepal Weekly 
December 13, 2022
International Mountain Day is celebrated annually on 11 December to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development, and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.
The UN General Assembly declared 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains, and on this occasion, it designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as International Mountain Day. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) coordinated the annual celebration of the Day to foster greater awareness of mountain issues.
International Mountain Day has its roots in the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development”, adopted in 1992 as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development.
Women move mountains
The theme of this year’s International Mountain Day (IMD) on 11 December was Women move mountains.
Women play a key role in mountains’ environmental protection and social and economic development. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture, and experts in traditional medicine.
Increasing climate variability, coupled with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture and rural development, has often pushed men to migrate elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have therefore taken on many tasks formerly done by men, yet mountain women are often invisible due to a lack of decision-making power and unequal access to resources.
As farmers, market sellers, businesswomen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, mountain women and girls, in particular in rural areas, have the potential to be major agents of change. When rural women have access to resources, services, and opportunities, they become a driving force against hunger, malnutrition, and rural poverty and are active in the development of mountain economies.
International Mountain Day 2022 was an opportunity to promote gender equality and therefore contribute to improving social justice, livelihoods and resilience./
Get to know more about women in mountains and use FAO’s, communication materials in all six UN languages, which are available on their website.
Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.
Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people – some of the world’s poorest – face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.
This problem affects us all. We must reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures.
ICIMOD activity
With an aim of promoting mountain tourism, International Mountain Day is been observed in Nepal on December 11th.
43% of the total land of Nepal is occupied by mountains and hills where 15% is solely occupied by mountains. In recent years, climate change has posed a threat to the existence of these mountain habitats.
According to environmentalists, the government and stakeholders are unable to monitor the mountaineers properly which has increased pollution in the mountains.
