Grounded in High Places: Mountains, People, and Sustainability in Action

With climate change driving the agenda in the mountains of the world it is more important than ever to intentionally connect advocacy, science, policy, and initiatives in the search for sustainable solutions. Join the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the UIAA’s (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) Mountain Protection Commission for a lively panel discussion that unpacks essential interconnections between sustainability, policy, science, training and on-the-ground action in the mountains. This session is an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how two different agencies, both with global scope, advance the agenda of sustainability in mountains. Proceeding from an overview of both organizations, panelists will sharpen their focus to specific projects involving youth and mountain protection education, science and mountain-based knowledge, advocacy, and targeted climate change actions while aligning their interventions with broader international frameworks, such as the International Year for Glacier Preservation 2025 and the 2023-2027 Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions. Panelists will engage with each other and the audience to discuss lessons learned, challenges, synergies, opportunities, and future engagement possibilities. Online information packages for all projects will be available at the session. Members of the audience at this public event can expect an inclusive, media-forward presentation with mountain sustainability takeaways that we hope will have us all reflecting on these questions: If not now, when? If not us, who?