Rio+20: Help shape the profile of mountains in the "Zero Draft" of the Outcome Document! (2)

Initial discussions on the Zero Draft document took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 25 through 27 January 2012. Chapters I & II were reviewed. Statements are available here.

The First Round of "Informal-informal" negotiations will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 19 through 23 March 2012. Discussions will continue on Chapters III, IV and V.

Act now!

The 9 Major Groups of Agenda 21 (Business & Industry, Children & Youth, Farmers, Indigenous Peoples, Local Authorities, NGOs, Scientific & Technological Community, Women, Workers & Trade Union) can give their comments on the Text of the Zero Draft of the Outcome Document. Comments can still be given on the entire document.

Comments must be emailed by Wednesday 29 February 2012 to Ms Chantal Line Carpentier, CSD Major Groups Programme Coordinator: carpentier@un.org

Help shape the profile of mountains in the "Zero Draft": Chapter V includes a succinct paragraph of mountains, paragraph 94.

Join the Mountain Partnership and help shape the profile of mountains in the "Zero Draft". Email paragraph 94 to Ms Carpentier with our suggested changes, or feel free to use it as the basis for your own.

(existing) Chapter V parag. 94

Mountains
We recognize that mountains are highly vulnerable to global changes such as climate change, and are often home to communities including of indigenous peoples, who have developed sustainable uses of their resources yet are often marginalized, sometimes with high poverty rates, exposure to natural risks and food insecurity. We recognize the benefits derived from mountains and their associated ecosystems. We also recognize the need to explore global, regional, national, and local mechanisms to compensate and reward mountain communities for the services they provide through ecosystem protection.

(comments) Chapter V parag. 94

Mountains

We recognize that mountain regions and populations provide essential goods and services for human survival. Mountains are the water towers of the world, storing water in the form of glaciers, snow, wetlands, lakes and subsurface sources. Supplying fresh water to more than half of humankind, mountains are of strategic importance for agriculture, food security, biodiversity, clean energy generation, industrial development and employment. Mountains are also weather makers. Nonetheless, mountains are highly vulnerable to climate and other global changes. Given the tight highland-lowland linkage, these changes may have serious impacts far beyond the mountain boundaries. We recognize that mountain communities, including indigenous peoples, have often been practicing sustainable natural resource management, and that their efforts to maintain mountain ecosystem services generate positive yet unaccounted economic benefits, not only to themselves, but also to a large portion of the world’s lowland population including urbanized areas. We recognize the need to create global, regional, national and local mechanisms that justly support mountain communities in providing essential resources and services for human well-being. We underline the importance of supporting green and low-carbon economic activities in mountain regions through capacity building and development of suitable technologies, as well as innovative means of financing for sustainable development and conservation of mountain regions. We stress the pivotal role of regional centres of competence in research and development to achieve solutions which take into account the specificities of mountain areas. We recommend the adoption of integrated ecosystem management approaches taking into account highland-lowland linkages, transboundary cooperation and resource efficiency.

We recognize that mountain people are often marginalized, with insecure tenure and access to resources, and high poverty rates. We stress the importance of building capacity and strengthening institutions to promote inclusive development solutions, especially targeted at youth and women. We acknowledge the efforts of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions (“Mountain Partnership”), as well as those of other UN bodies, governments, and other partners, to promote cooperation among the institutions, initiatives, instruments, and conventions relevant to mountain development. We welcome new opportunities for public-private partnerships and investments in mountain ecosystem goods and services, especially in the fields of renewable energy, sustainable forest management, sustainable tourism, responsible industrial development and climate-smart agriculture, including promotion of natural products. We acknowledge that actions in support of sustainable mountain development are key to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

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Next steps

The First round of "informal-informal" negotiations (19-23 March) will be followed by the 3rd Intersessional Meeting of UN CSD, UN Secretariat on 26, 27 March 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York .
The Second round of "Informal-informal" negotiations will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 23 April through 4 May 2012.

Some background