International Mountain Day is observed on December 11 every year since 2003. As per the United Nations, mountains are home to 15 per cent of the world's population and a quarter of the world’s animals and plants.
United Nation states, “International Mountain Day has its roots in the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” (called Chapter 13), adopted in 1992 as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development.”
Due to the increasing attention towards the importance of mountains, United Nations declared 2002 as the UN International Year of Mountains, following which the first international day was celebrated in 2003.
International Mountain Day 2019: Theme
The theme of the International Mountain Day this year is 'Mountains Matter for Youth'. Emphasising on the theme, United Nations said, “International Mountain Day is a chance to highlight that for rural youth, living in the mountains can be hard. Migration from the mountains leads to abandoned agriculture, land degradation and a loss of ancient cultural traditions. Education and training, market access, diverse employment opportunities and good public services can ensure a brighter future for young people in the mountains. This year, youth will take the lead and demand that mountains and mountain peoples become central in the national and international development agendas; receive more attention, investments and tailored research.”
The mountains are under a threat due to climate change and are exploited more than their capacity worldwide. The increase in temperatures also leads to melting of glaciers which impacts the fresh water supply which in turn leads to disruption in the lives of common people.
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