Technical & networking sessions slot 1

FAO; Mountain Partnership Secretariat; ICIMOD

The session will focus on the significance of mountains in the context of climate change impacts and the existing constraints in building resilience in mountain landscapes. There will be two core interconnected entry-points to the discussion:

1. On a global, political level, there is a recognized need to enhance the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action by increasing investment in local, national and global resilience planning.
2. On a technical level, opportunities must be sought to upscale support to vulnerable mountain communities in adapting to climate-change induced hazards – incorporating traditional knowledge and technologies for coping with natural hazards and adapting to climate change in mountains.

The key questions that will be addressed in the session are:

1. How can international commitment to adequate, timely and predictable resources for disaster risk reduction be increased in order to enhance the resilience of mountain communities to disasters?
2. How can and should vulnerable and marginalized mountain communities best be supported in becoming climate-smart stewards of mountain landscapes?
3. How to promote the role mountains play as the world’s water towers in light of inevitable climate change impacts and of climate change adaptation measures predominantly and necessarily focusing on the water-related impacts

Background reading:

1. Mountains and climate change – from understanding to action

Contact details: Thomas.hofer@fao.org