International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build partnerships that will bring positive change to the world's mountains and highlands.

It was the UN General Assembly who designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as 'International Mountain Day'. This decision results from the success of the UN International Year of Mountains in 2002, which increased global awareness of the importance of mountains, stimulated the establishment of national committees in 78 countries and strengthened alliances through promoting the creation of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions, known as the 'Mountain Partnership (WSSD, Johannesburg, 2 September 2002). FAO was the designated lead coordinating agency for International Year of Mountains and is mandated to lead observance of International Mountain Day.

Picture by CNICIMOD

A different theme relevant to sustainable mountain development is chosen every year for “International Mountain Day”. The theme for the International Mountain Day 2009 is “Disaster Risk Management in Mountains”. It aims to raise awareness on the high number of natural hazards in mountain areas and the high vulnerability of mountain communities. It draws attention to sustainable agricultural, pasture and forestry practices as key elements of risk reduction as well as the need to develop integrated strategies and policies at a national level.

Mountains are hazardous places. Many mountain communities live under the threat of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, landslides and floods. Many are the factors that cause people to live in these vulnerable situations: ties of kinship and community, a culturally different notion of risk and last but not least, poverty.

Chinese Committee on ICIMOD (CNICIMOD) launched publicity activities to celebrate this special event.  CNICIMOD demonstrated the posters about the theme of the Mountain Day this year and prepared many publications reflecting some research works on mountain hazard management and climate change adaptation in HKH region in the lobby of Chengdu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS. It is so encouraged that researchers and graduate students showed great concern on the mountain’s affairs and took away almost all the publications we prepared. It reached a very good effectiveness of the publicity.