AKIPRESS.COM - The University of Central Asia (UCA) and the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic co-organised the fourth World Mountain Forum (WMF 2018), with support from the Government of Switzerland and the Aga Khan Foundation United Kingdom, from October 23-26 in Bishkek. It brought together 300 participants from the global community across complementary sectors and different types of agencies including community members, civil society, academic, and government institutions, to share experiences and best practices, and develop integrated solutions to existing challenges of sustainable development in mountain regions.
Welcoming the participants, Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Rector of UCA, highlighted the commitment of the University of Central Asia in the development of mountain communities, and urged the Forum to partner with the University to research issues critical to mountain communities and create proposals for improving their quality of life.
Plenary sessions, presentations, and side-events at the conference addressed the overarching theme of ‘Mountains in a Changing World: Strengthening Partnerships and Pathways Towards a Thriving Mountain Future’. Speakers discussed topics such as current trends and dynamics; pathways towards a sustainable mountain future; and partnerships and alliances to advance Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD).
“Countries should ensure that their laws and their activities in the mountain areas conform with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, most of our water comes from mountain areas, which are forested and have rich soils. These ecosystems should be protected and utilised in a manner such that these resources not only provide for the current generation, but generations to come,” said Dr. Gorreti Kitutu, Minister of State for Environment of Uganda.
One of the conclusions of WMF was the need to highlight that the wellbeing of people who live in the geography of mountains is critical to downstream societies, yet their voices are not sufficiently heard. The overall discussion on SDGs focuses on lowlands and urban centres, and there is hardly any mention of the importance of mountains, which are the providers of critical resources such as water.
As a side event to WMF 2018, UCA organised a MountainEXPO, with support from the United Nations Development Programme country office in Kyrgyzstan, which provided an opportunity for different institutions and non-governmental organisations to showcase their best practices and products in a "knowledge fair" format. It also included an exhibit of the Aga Khan Development Network projects in Central Asia.
The next World Mountain Forum is expected to convene in 2020 to continue discussions on local, regional, and global experiences in achieving the goals of Sustainable Mountain Development.