The regional event of the Council of Member Countries of the Andean Mountain Initiative (IAM) was successfully brought to a close. It included its ordinary meeting, internal workshops, field visits and an event open to the public. It provided an opportunity to take stock of progress, connect with the issues and communities, strengthen cooperation ties and renew the commitment to consolidate the platform for the sustainable development of the Andean mountains.

Source: CONDESAN – 9 September, 2022

«We know that, acting alone, none of the Andean countries will be able to protect their mountain communities, their glaciers or their water sources properly. The IAM’s approach of cooperation and interaction over a long period is its most important contribution,» said Ana Teresa Lecaros, regional coordinator of the Andean Mountain Initiative (Peru), in her presentation at the event.

The annual meeting of the Council of Member Countries of the Andean Mountain Initiative 2022 was held in Huaraz, 31 August – 2 September. It was attended by the political and technical focus points of six of the countries that share the mountain range: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela and delegates from CONDESAN (the Technical Secretariat), and from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Mountain Partnership as observers. In addition to the ordinary meeting, the agenda included an internal workshop on knowledge management and governance, a field trip to Huascarán National Park and a mixed event (face-to-face and on-line) open to the public on «Progress and challenges for mountain governance in the Andean region».

Three important points were discussed at the ordinary meeting. The first was the renewal of the Pro Tempore Regional Coordination of the IAM for the 2023 – 2024 period. The Regional Coordination announced the opening of the nomination process, inviting member countries to participate. The second point was the call proposed for the selection process for the IAM Technical Secretariat. The meeting adjusted the term of office of the Secretariat to four years, and established the timetable for the selection process.  Finally, the plenary reviewed the «Call to Action» in the framework of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, which was launched at the end of the meeting to reflect the consolidation which the IAM has achieved, and the challenges faced by action for making progress.

The internal workshop sought to shape and foster IAM action on knowledge management and governance. The methodology it used had an initial context presentation, followed by «World Café» group discussions, which answered questions formulated to elicit joint discussion, and to identify opportunities and strategies for action on the issues addressed. Participants moved from group to group in order to contribute to all the questions.

On the second day, participants made a field trip to the Pastoruri sector of the Huascarán National Park, where they saw geological formations and the effects of land use and of climate change on high mountain ecosystems. The park covers over 340,000 hectares and several communities have access to it, mainly for sheep and cattle grazing. The contrast between conserved moorland and highland marshes and those affected by trampling and overgrazing was very evident on the tour. At the highest point, the participants could see how the rapid glacier retreat has exposed the rock in areas that used to be used for mountain sports such as skiing. The minerals exposed react with oxygen and enter the water, polluting it with lead, manganese, zinc and other metals. This water flows down through wetlands and into rivers that people may use for water.

After the outing, at the end of the day the Technical Secretariat at CONDESAN presented the progress in the communication strategy made in recent months. These include the creation of the IAM website, communication products (including attractive infographics on biodiversity, climate change and the people of the Andes), news and social media campaigns. To date, more than 15,000 people have visited the website, and more than 140,000 have been reached with IAM content on social media. After the presentation and the questions, participants agreed that the knowledge management and communication roundtable should be consolidated over the next few weeks to pilot the second phase of the strategy.

The last day was the regional event, open to the public: «Progress and challenges for mountain governance in the Andean region». Its purpose was to bring together the local community to share the visions, progress and perspectives of regional integration through the IAM. There were four blocks of presentations followed by questions from the audience. Each country presented its national policies and plans for sustainable mountain development. This was followed by a brief presentation from Rome, by Rosa Laura Romero, technical secretary of the Mountain Partnership at the FAO, on the fundamental role of women in this development pathway. She was followed by Jocelyn Ostolaza, project officer of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with the experiences of regional projects in the Andes, and Ansgar Fellendorf with the «Mountain Connect» initiative, which promotes exchange between mountain regions globally for adaptation to climate change. The meeting ended with a Call for Action by the IAM Council of Member Countries.

The Huaraz event opened the way for participatory discussion which allowed participants to take stock of the significant progress made by the IAM in the period that is coming to a close, and to lay the foundations for the future of this political platform that is unique in the continent.  The field visit and the event which was open to the public let participants connect with local issues and communities. With this event, the IAM has strengthened the ties of cooperation between all the countries of the Andes and renewed its commitment to enter a new stage, consolidating its work in the conservation and sustainable development of the Andean mountains.

About the Andean Mountain Initiative

The Andean Mountains Initiative is a platform composed of the seven countries that share a common territory: the Andes Mountains. Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela voluntarily work to strengthen regional dialogue to encourage and carry out joint action.

About the Adaptation at Altitude Programme

Adaptation at Altitude works to promote knowledge management, producing comprehensive information and analysis, identifying solutions to climate change to integrate them into land management and decision-making, from the local to the continental scale.

The Adaptation at Altitude programme is being implemented from 2019-2023 in the Andes by CONDESAN, through an agreement with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It works with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the mountain regions of East Africa and the South Caucasus, and with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

It collaborates with global initiatives such as the Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), the Mountain Research initiative MRI, the ZOÏ Environmental Network and the WeAdapt programme of the University of Geneva, and with key partners in the Andes. It supports two continental monitoring networks in Andean mountain ecosystems: the GLORIA-Andes Network and the Andean Forest Network. The project is part of the global Adaptation at Altitude programme.

Links of interest:
PDF IAM-2022 Call to Action. Annual Meeting of the Council of the Andean Mountain Initiative Member Countries
Audio: Interview on Radio Chévere with Luis Daniel Llambí, coordinator of the Adaptation at Altitude project (Spanish)

For further information:
PDF Brochure: Adaptation in the Andes Community of Practice
Web Adaptation at Altitude project
Web Andean Mountain Initiative