27 October 2014: The First African Mountains Regional Forum (AMRF) addressed the theme ‘Towards a Shared Mountain Agenda for Africa.’ Participants adopted the Arusha Outcomes, which are aimed to raise the profile of the African sustainable mountain development (SMD) agenda.

In the Arusha Outcomes, participants adopted conclusions establishing the ARMF as the main coordinating body to promote SMD in Africa. They agreed to hold the ARMF every two years and requested the African Union, with the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), regional economic communities and other partners to adopt the African Regional Mountain Agenda with its governance framework for SMD.

During the meeting, participants: identified strategic actions to address major emerging issues; addressed the promotion of linkages and collaboration between different stakeholders for a regional framework on sustainable mountain development in Africa; and shared lessons learned and experiences in meeting conservation and development challenges with regard to biodiversity, water, energy, food security and climate change in African Mountain regions.

The meeting was organized by the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and the Africa Mountain Partnership Champions Committee, in partnership with the East African Community, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Austrian Development Cooperation, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The meeting was held at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha, Tanzania, from 22-24 October 2014. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [Meeting Website]