11 December 2003: International Mountain Day

The United Nations General Assembly designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as the "International Mountain Day", in recognition of the crucial role that mountains play in our lives.

This decision results from the successful observance of the UN International Year of Mountain in 2002, which increased global awareness of the importance of mountains, stimulated the establishment of national committees in 78 countries and strengthened alliances by promoting the creation of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions, otherwise known as Mountain Partnership.

The theme of the first ever International Mountain Day in 2003 is "Mountains, Source of Freshwater", which also links to this year's UN International Year of Freshwater. More than half the world's people rely on mountain water to grow food, produce electricity, sustain industries and, most importantly, to drink. All the major rivers in the world - from the Rio Grande to the Nile - have their headwaters in mountains. Careful management of mountain ecosystems and water resources they support has never been more important to our long-term security and survival.

For information and advice on planning and organizing activities for the observance of the International Mountain Day, please contact the Mountain Group at:

Forest Conservation Service
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
mountain.day@fao.org
www.mountains2002.org

For more information on the 2003 UN International Year of Freshwater, please visit the official website.