The Mountain Partnership and the NENA Region

Home , Al Hajar Mountains, Mountain Partnership, Sarawat Mountains

Amman 2014 In this presentation:

• The Mountain Agenda since 1992 • What is the Mountain Partnership • Why mountains are important in the NENA Region • What is the Mountain Partnership planning in the NENA Region 1992 - 2002 - 2012

►1992 – Rio Earth Summit – Agenda 21 Chapter 13

►2002 – WSSD – Plan of Implementation – para 42

►2012 – Rio+20 – The Future We Want – paras 210, 211, 212 RIO OUTCOME - The future we want

Paragraphs on Mountains

210. We recognize that the benefits derived from mountain regions are essential for sustainable development. Mountain ecosystems play a crucial role in providing water resources to a large portion of the world’s population; fragile mountain ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, deforestation and forest degradation, land use change, land degradation and natural disasters; and mountain glaciers around the world are retreating and getting thinner, with increasing impacts on the environment and human well-being.

211. We further recognize that mountains are often home to communities, including indigenous peoples and local communities, who have developed sustainable uses of mountain resources. These communities are, however, often marginalized, and we therefore stress that continued effort will be required to address poverty, food security and nutrition, social exclusion and environmental degradation in these areas. We invite States to strengthen cooperative action with effective involvement and sharing of experience of all relevant stakeholders, by strengthening existing arrangements, agreements and centres of excellence for sustainable mountain development, as well as exploring new arrangements and agreements, as appropriate.

212. We call for greater efforts towards the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity. We encourage States to adopt a long-term vision and holistic approaches, including through incorporating mountain-specific policies into national sustainable development strategies, which could include, inter alia, poverty reduction plans and programmes for mountain areas, particularly in developing countries. In this regard, we call for international support for sustainable mountain development in developing countries. UN Conventions and CSD

• CBD - has a programme of work on mountain biodiversity • UNCCD - has recently published jointly with the MPS a publication on Highlands and Drylands - Mountains, a source of resilience in arid regions • UNFCCC - mountain ecosystems are mentioned in the text of the Convention as particularly affected by CC • CSD - the MPS has organized regular meetings during the CSD since its establishment The Mountain Partnership A new approach to development…

– Launched by Italy, Switzerland, FAO and UNEP in Johannesburg in 2002

– Alliance that is voluntary and inclusive (Governments, IGOs, NGOs, Private Sector)

– Type 2 – Governments, IGOs and NGOs working together Membership

224 members:

53 Countries 13 IGOs 158 Major Groups Our work

– Advocacy – Brokering joint activities – Capacity development – Communication and knowledge management Activities

– Advocacy: RIO+20, Mountain Days, IMD, Post 2015 and SDG process – Brokering joint activities: support to TCPs and GEF projects – Capacity development: IPROMO – Communications: website, newsletter, FB page, publications, videos, policy briefs, targeted messaging, events Structure and Governance

• MP Secretariat based in FAO Rome • Hub in Central Asia (UCA, Kyrgyzstan) • UNEP responsible for environmental concerns – Cooperation with the Mountain Forum for Knowledge sharing – Steering Committee (16 members, 2 year work plan) Mountains in the NENA Region • Atlas Mountains (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia)

• Nafusa and Jabal Akhdar Mountains (Libya)

• Mount Sinai (Egypt)

• Abarim Mountain (Jordan)

• Judean hills, Golan Heights and Mount Carmel (West Bank and Israel)

• Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon (Lebanon)

• An-Nusayriyah Mountains (Syria)

• Zagros and Alborz Mountains (Iraq and Iran)

• Sarawat Mountains (Saudi Arabia and Yemen)

• Al Hajar Mountains (Oman and United Arab Emirates)

• Dhofar Mountains (Oman) Membership from the Region

GOVERNMENTS CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS

• Afghanistan • Migration and Development • Algeria (Morocco) . Iran • Mountain Environment Protection • Jordan Society (Iran) • Morocco • Sultan Qaboos University (Oman) • • Tunisia Lebanon Mountain Trail Association • Turkey • Suldoz Kouhyaran Institute • Yemen (Iran)

Climate change

Climate Change - adding more stress Fourth IPCC report (by 2050) : • Atlas Mountains will warm up between+ 2.2 to 3.1°C • Near East mountains will warm up between to 3 to 4°C (except Sudan) • 12% decrease of precipitation

Key role

• Water towers • Islands of biodiversity • High value agricultural products (Saffron, Argan oil, …) • Forests • Tourism Current NENA work

• Workshop in Morocco in Dec 2012 • Priorities identified: Strong regional constituency National mountain committees Regional cooperation Specific training • TCP under finalization Mountain Partnership

Thank you!

Rosalaura Romeo Mountain Partnership Programme Officer [email protected]