NEW YORK, JULY 10 – “Building Climate Action in Mountains” is the subject of a High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development side-event organized next week by the missions of Andorra, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, FAO, UNDP and the Mountain Partnership. The panel on July 16 will be moderated by Italian diplomat Grammenos Mastrojeni, Coordinator from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chair of the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee, and one of the pioneers of the studies connecting climate change to the threats to peace and security.
Mountain ecosystems are home to almost one billion people, or 15 percent of the world’s population, and provide essential services for downstream areas, particularly water regulation. Climate change increasingly threatens the ecosystems service provision by mountains and their support to mountain communities’ livelihoods.
The event addresses Sustainable Development Goal 13 regarding climate action. The goal is to advocate for pro-mountain climate change adaptation policies, report on the Framework for Action for implementing mountains in the 2030 Agenda, encourage international commitment for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, share innovative agricultural initiatives and ethical financial schemes for climate-smart mountain communities, and build alliances and better data to promote the role of mountains as the world’s water towers.
Panelists include H.E. Ms Maria Ubach, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Andorra; H.E. Ms Mirgul Moldoisaeva, Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UN; Mr Jacques Ducrest, Alternate Delegate of the Federal Council for the Agenda 2030, Switzerland; Mr Josep M. Casals Alis, Director of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability of Andorra; Ms Yoko Watanabe, Global Manager, GEF Small Grants Programme, UNDP; and Mr Giorgio Grussu, Project Coordinator FAO-Mountain Partnership Secretariat. (@OnuItalia)
