Every year International Mountain Day held on 11 December, to encourage sustainable development in the mountains. The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2003.
Almost one billion people live in mountain areas, and over half the human population depends on mountains for water, food and clean energy. Yet mountains are under threat from climate change, land degradation, overexploitation and natural disasters, with potentially far-reaching and devastating consequences, both for mountain communities and the rest of the world.
Mountains are early indicators of climate change and as global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s hungriest and poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.
International Mountain Day 2018 will be an occasion to create a significant social movement that can bring mountain issues on the tables of politicians.
International Mountain Day is observed every year with a different theme relevant to sustainable mountain development. The theme for International Mountain Day 2018 is #MountainsMatter.
