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International Mountain Day is celebrated annually on December 11. This year’s theme is Women move mountains.
International Mountain Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2002 to mark the end of the International Year of Mountain Areas under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) auspices. The first celebration, coordinated by the FAO, took place in 2003.
United Nations pinpoints five crucial benefits of mountains. According to it, mountains provide a home for almost 1.1 billion people and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. What is more, mountains are the origin of 6 of the 20 most important food crops and forests cover around 40% of the global mountain area. Finally, mountains provide up to 60-80% of the world’s freshwater.
“Women play a key role in mountains’ environmental protection and social and economic development. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture, and experts in traditional medicine,”
we can read about this year’s theme on United Nations’ website.
“Celebrate this International Day 2022 with your community and friends by preparing an event or joining the conversation on social media using the hashtag #MountainsMatter. Pass on some of the key messages or share about the important role of women in mountains, or post, or a photo of your favourite mountain,”
the United Nations encourage us.