The UN alliance of partners seeking to improve the lives of mountain peoples and protect mountain environments around the world convened for a three-day meeting, which highlighted the importance of mainstreaming mountains across the Rio Conventions – the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Participants stressed the need to protect mountain ecosystems while supporting traditional practices and knowledge of local mountain communities and Indigenous Peoples.

The Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership convened in Andorra from 26-28 March 2026 under the overarching theme, ‘Mountains for the Future: Responsible Tourism, Thriving Communities.’ According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting, discussions on the agenda for the Mountain Partnership going forward included calls for strengthening the science-policy interface, building a tourism sector that supports mountain economies and livelihoods while protecting fragile ecosystems and respecting cultural heritage, and empowering women for building resilient community-based tourism.

Discussions also focused on:

• Sustainable tourism “from highlands to islands,” sharing lessons from bringing local food systems into the tourism industry and highlighting the importance of regional cooperation;
• Financing mountain development, emphasizing the need to build bridges between the financial agendas on sustainable development and climate action and to ensure public and private institutions work with and benefit local communities who provide local knowledge and are crucial for project implementation;
• Building sustainable livelihoods, agrifood systems, and economies, with one speaker noting that mountain economies are more resilient when support addresses production while at the same time accounting for inclusive value chains and enabling market access; and
• Youth, with several panelists calling for institutionalizing young people’s meaningful participation so they can genuinely engage in decision making and link it to action on the ground.

The meeting elected the Mountain Partnership’s new Steering Committee, adopted the updated strategy documents for the period 2026-2030, and endorsed the Andorra Declaration, which will guide the work of the Partnership over the coming four-year period.

The Mountain Partnership was founded in 2002 by the Governments of Italy and Switzerland, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership was organized and hosted by the Mountain Partnership and the Government of Andorra, with the financial support from the Governments of Italy and Switzerland. [ENB Coverage of Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership]