The World Mountain Forum (WMF), which took place from 22-24 May 2014, in Cusco, Peru, provided a platform to promote sustainable mountain development.
The Forum convened sessions on four key topics: climate change; family farming; mountain communities; and mountain cities.
These sessions included a particular focus on water and food security, sustainable investment and climate change adaptation.
24 May 2014: The World Mountain Forum (WMF), which took place from 22-24 May 2014, in Cusco, Peru, provided a platform to promote sustainable mountain development. The Forum convened sessions on four key topics: climate change; family farming; mountain communities; and mountain cities. These sessions included a particular focus on water and food security, sustainable investment and climate change adaptation.
The Forum was a collaborative effort of eight partners: the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN); Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS); International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); University of Central Asia; Foundation for the Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions (FDDM); Centre for Development and Environment, University of Berne; and the University of Zurich. It was hosted by the Government of Peru and co-organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Most of these partners are members of the Mountain Partnership (MP). The WMF aims to bring together sustainable mountain development (SDM) stakeholders from around the world, promote collaborative action and foster political dialogue, with an overall goal of articulating concrete actions and plans for concerted efforts to address the plight of mountain ecosystems and communities.
Throughout the Forum, WMF 2014 showcased and discussed available local, regional and global experience in mountain development, and identified opportunities and challenges for global SMD. Its outcomes are expected to inform other relevant global initiatives and events, including the post-2015 development agenda, progress towards sustainable development goals (SDGs) and climate negotiations at both the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Lima, Peru, in December 2014, and COP 21, scheduled for Paris, France, in 2015. [IISD RS coverage of World Mountain Forum] [Mountain Partnership Press Release]