Mountain Day Bulletin: A Summary Report of the Durban Mountain Day

Mountain Day took place on Sunday, 4 December 2011 during the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Durban, South Africa. Mountain Day was organized by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the Mountain Partnership Consortium.

The event highlighted the critical role that mountain ecosystems play in climate adaptation and sustainable development as well as the vulnerability of mountains, and those who depend on them, to climate change. Mountain Day assembled two high-level panels of ministers and decisionmakers to advocate the value and role of mountains, and to call on COP 17 delegates and global development partners to protect vital mountain ecosystems from the threats presented by climate change. Mountain Day also included parallel sessions on: Mountains, Climate Change from Scientific Evidence to Policy and Adaptation; and Mountains and Adaptation – Challenges and Opportunities with a Vision of Rio+20. A draft “Mountain Day Call for Action” was presented, and was made available for comment on the ICIMOD website. Key messages of the Call include that: mountains are the “water towers” of the world and global hotspots for biodiversity; the value of the ecosystem goods and services derived from mountains is under-recognized, under-valued and poorly compensated; major downstream ecosystems and economies are highly dependent on mountains; international organizations and national governments should introduce policies and financing to support adaptation programmes in mountains for improved livelihoods and sustainability; and global development strategies and policies should recognize, value and create incentives to enhance benefits derived from mountains.