The Mountain Partnership is a United Nations (UN) voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. Founded during the UN International Year of Mountains in 2002, the Mountain Partnership addresses the challenges facing mountain regions by tapping the wealth and diversity of resources, knowledge, information and expertise from and between its members, in order to stimulate concrete initiatives at all levels that will ensure improved quality of life and environments in the world’s mountain regions. Currently, more than 400 governments, intergovernmental organisations, major groups (e.g. civil society, NGOs, private sector) and subnational authorities are members.
The UN General Assembly declared 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development (IYSMD). The Government of the Kyrgyz Republic proposed the resolution, which invited UN Member States and organisations, other international organisations and stakeholders, including civil society, private sector and academia, to observe the Year to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable mountain development and the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems. The Mountain Partnership hosted by FAO facilitated observance of the IYSMD.
As mountain pastures form part of the broader rangeland ecosystem, collaboration between the IYRP initiative and the Mountain Partnership was sought. The IYRP was represented at the International Mountain Conference in September 2022 in Austria, which included papers on traditional livestock farming (pastoralism) systems in mountainous areas. An IYRP Working Group on Mountain Pastoralism was initiated.