The International Year of Mountains 2002

On November 1998 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Year 2002 as the International Year of Mountains in recognition of the crucial role that mountains play in our lives.

The aim of the IYM is to ensure the well being of mountain and lowland communities by promoting the conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions and lowland communities.

The Year will give people the opportunity to strengthen a general understanding of mountains.

Under the overall goal of ensuring the well-being of mountain populations by promoting sustainable development of mountain regions, IYM objectives are:

• Ensure present and future well-being of mountain communities by promoting conservation and sustainable development in mountain areas
  
  
• Increase awareness of, and knowledge on, mountain ecosystems, their dynamics and functioning, and their overriding importance in providing a number of strategic goods and services essential to the well-being of both rural and urban, highland and lowland people, particularly water supply and food security
  
  
• Promote and defend cultural heritage of mountain communities, and
  
  
• Pay attention to frequent conflicts in mountain areas and promote peacemaking in those regions.

On July 1998 the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) proposed the members of the UN General Assembly to designate 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM).

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, the lead agency for the IYM, is working closely with other organizations to make sure the broadest possible range of expertise is focused on reaching the goals of sustainable mountain development.

54 countries with mountainous areas have approved the IYM and established a national committee with members from government, civil society, NGO's and the private sector. These committees are approaching mountain development issues from a holistic, long term perspective and together mobilize support to implement programmes and projects.

Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 deals with the management of vulnerable ecosystems and sustainable development in mountainous regions. One of its purposes is to develop and broaden the knowledge of mountain ecology and how these areas should be managed and protected. Chapter 13 states, "the fate of the mountains may effect more than half of the world's population and that particular attention should be paid to mountain resources, especially water and biodiversity". It recognized mountain tourism as an important component in sustainable mountain development and conservation of mountains on the global environmental agenda.