International Mountain Day 2022: History, significance and theme

International Mountain Day is marked annually on 11 December to create awareness about the crucial role of mountains in life. The day highlights the opportunities and roadblocks in mountain development and focuses on building alliances that will bring positive change to the lives of people and environments around the world. International Mountain Day raises awareness about the threats faced by the mountains. Conservation of the mountains is one of the major factors for sustainable development and is a part of Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Due to climate change and overexploitation, mountains are facing a threat. The conservation of mountains is thus an important factor.

History

The United Nations accepted a document titled “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” while the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was held in 1992. This drew focus on safeguarding and preserving the mountains. The United Nations General Assembly then declared 11 December as International Mountain Day in 2003.

Significance

As the global climate continues to get warmer, people living in mountains struggle to survive. The rising temperatures mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unimaginable rates, which in turn impact freshwater supplies downstream for a huge number of people.

This problem has an impact on all of us and we must reduce our carbon footprint to take care of these natural treasures.

Theme

The theme for International Mountain Day 2022 on 11 December is “Women move mountains.”

Women play an important role in mountains’ environmental protection and social and economic development. They are the primary managers of mountain resources, keepers of traditional knowledge, and experts in traditional medicine.

Increasing climate variability, along with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture has pushed men to migrate in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have therefore taken on many tasks that were earlier done by men, yet they remain invisible due to a lack of decision-making power as well as unequal access to resources. The day aims to highlight their importance in the mountain economy.

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