Nilgiri Activist Venugopal to attend Global Meet on Mountains

Nilgiri Activist Venugopal to attend Global Meet on Mountains

Nilgiri Documentation Director, Dharmalingam Venugopal has been invited to attend the UN Mountain Partnership Global Meeting at the Head Quarters of Food and Agriculture Organization at Rome, Italy from December 11th to 14th, 2017.

 Coinciding with International Mountain Day and the 15th anniversary of the Mountain Partnership, the Global Meeting will raise awareness of the need to place mountain ecosystems and peoples at the centre of international negotiations, policies and investments.

The Global Meeting will launch a Framework for Action to support concrete actions to strengthen the resilience of mountain peoples and environments.

It will also aim to ensure that sustainable mountain development is integrated into the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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.

The Mountain Partnership is an official United Nations partnership and international voluntary alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world.

Currently its membership comprises, 58 governments, 7 Subnational Authorities, 16 International Organizations and 237 Major Groups from civil society, NGOs and the private sector.

India is a new member of the Mountain Partnership. NDC is the only member from south India.

Small Mountains

“I have already launched a campaign to make the Global Meeting inclusive by giving due attention to Small, Significant and Sensitive mountains like the Nilgiris” says Venugopal and adds that “several members have expressed their support to the campaign”.

“We need to push for inclusiveness of all mountain regions,  which have major and neglected needs”, Mr. Andrew Taber, Executive Director of The Mountain Institute, USA and a key organizer of the Global Meeting had said in a mail sent  to Venugopal.

 “UN recognition of the significance and problems of mountains like Nilgiris will greatly help in drawing central and state government attention to the issues” according to Venugopal and recalled how the timely UNESCO recognition to the Nilgiri Mountain Railway rescued the Heritage Train from closure.

(Venugopal is from Kannerimukku Village)