FRIENDS-MOUNTAINS-L Archives

List of people and institutions not members of the Mountain Partnership

Friends-Mountains-L@LISTSERV.FAO.ORG

Options: Use Classic View

Use Proportional Font
Show HTML Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
"Hofer, Thomas (FOM)" <[log in to unmask]>
Mon, 9 Jun 2014 16:26:28 +0200
text/plain (3035 bytes) , text/html (12 kB) , revised SDGs text.docx (71 kB) , statementforcountries.docx (22 kB)

Dear Mountain Partnership friends,

As mandated by the Mountain Partnership members during the last Global Mountain Partnership meeting in Erzurum,  we have co-organized several events in New York to encourage the recognition of mountains in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The latest draft of the working SDG document is very disappointing.  Despite our collective efforts, mountains have almost disappeared from the text. Indeed, they are mentioned only once under goals #15 (terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity).

As the discussions are about to come to a close, your intervention is needed urgently to ensure that the negotiators in New York receive the request to reinstate some specific language that was in earlier drafts of the working SDG document. We believe that having mountains mentioned at least in those goals for which mountains have a strategic and universal importance - water, energy and terrestrial ecosystems & biodiversity - would better support mountain development in the Post-2015 development agenda.

Also, we strongly believe that all endangered ecosystems should be protected but also managed sustainably, without favouring one over the other. Currently, the zero draft states:

14. Attain conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, oceans and seas
15. Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems and halt all biodiversity loss

While we recognize that marine ecosystems deserve special attention, we would also like to see a similar treatment of fragile and endangered land-based ecosystems and propose the following modification:

15. Protect, manage and restore fragile terrestrial ecosystems, such as mountains, drylands and other degraded ecosystems, and halt their biodiversity loss

While it is true that mountains are cradles of biodiversity that should be protected, they also provide goods and services - such as water, energy and food -  that must be managed sustainably. Mountain goods and services are essential to food security and livelihoods of people everywhere, and thus deserve greater recognition.

Please find attached:

*         A proposed statement to be read during the OWG sessions

*         The revised zero draft with mountains addition highlighted

Please ask your national negotiators in New York to speak out in support of mountains during the next session, which starts on 16 June 2014.

The MP Secretariat stands ready to provide any additional material needed to strengthen the case for mountains.

Thank you for helping mountain peoples' voices to be heard at international community level now and into the future.

Best regards,

Thomas Hofer
Team Leader (Watershed Management and Mountains)
Coordinator Mountain Partnership Secretariat
Forestry Department
UN Food and Agriculture Organization
I-00153 Rome
Tel: +39 06 5705-3191
Fax: +39 06 5705-5137
Mobile: +348 870 4774




########################################################################

To unsubscribe from the Friends-Mountains-L list, click the following link:
https://listserv.fao.org/scripts/wa-fao.exe?SUBED1=FRIENDS-MOUNTAINS-L


ATOM RSS1 RSS2