All news: 11 December 2022

A message from Antarctica dated December 10. Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Summits Club, reports:

Today our team observed bad weather at the Vinson Massif base camp. Some of the groups went to the upper camps. But we stayed because the forecast is bad. In the afternoon, Artem and Kadyr ran to the Low Camp camp, checked the depot. The rest of the participants were resting from yesterday's hike. We were playing chess when we suddenly heard a cry that the tent was flying away, one tent was blown away by the wind. We started fighting the squall. Hell. We rushed to sprinkle all the tents with snow for 50-60 cm around with a snow shaft. The wind was getting stronger.  An hour later, all the tents, including the dining room, presented the appearance of snow caves. The strongest hurricane is expected tonight. Then the wind will weaken. And we're going to Low Camp.

The guides of the 7 Summits Club are Alexander Abramov and Artem Rostovtsev.

Friends, love the mountains, love nature, go to the mountains!  Congratulations on the International Mountain Day! The 7 Summits Club is always ready to help you with travel arrangements. Follow the updates of our programs.  Mountains should give us the happiest moments of our lives, and giving people happiness is our mission.

  If possible, leave the mountains clean after you!  And in general, do everything possible so that the mountains remain (become) a territory of freedom, a territory where you can meet with pristine nature, a place of joyful meeting with friends, a place you want to return to, where you want to bring children, where everyone will be happy!

UNO Official information

Women move mountains

The theme of this year's International Mountain Day (IMD) on 11 December will be Women move mountains.

Women play a key role in mountains' environmental protection and social and economic development. They are often the primary managers of mountain resources, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of traditional knowledge, custodians of local culture, and experts in traditional medicine.

Increasing climate variability, coupled with a lack of investment in mountain agriculture and rural development, has often pushed men to migrate elsewhere in search of alternative livelihoods. Women have therefore taken on many tasks formerly done by men, yet mountain women are often invisible due to a lack of decision-making power and unequal access to resources.

As farmers, market sellers, businesswomen, artisans, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, mountain women and girls, in particular in rural areas, have the potential to be major agents of change. When rural women have access to resources, services, and opportunities, they become a driving force against hunger, malnutrition, and rural poverty and are active in the development of mountain economies.

International Mountain Day 2022 is an opportunity to promote gender equality and therefore contribute to improving social justice, livelihoods and resilience. 

Get to know more about women in mountains and use FAO's, communication materials in all six UN languages, which are available on their website.

While Women move mountains is the suggested theme for 2022, countries, communities, and organizations are welcome to celebrate IMD through a theme that is more relevant to them.

Celebrate this International Day 2022 with your community and friends preparing an event or joining the conversation on social media using the hashtag #MountainsMatter. Pass on some of the key messages, or share about the important role of women in mountains, or post, or a photo of your favorite mountain.

Natural jewels we should treasure

Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.

Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive. The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.

This problem affects us all. We must reduce our carbon footprint and take care of these natural treasures.

The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare to 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time the following year, 2003.

Its roots date back to 1992, when the document “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” (called Chapter 13), was adopted as part of the action plan Agenda 21 of the Conference on Environment and Development.

Most recently, the UN proclaimed 2022 the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development.