“Mountains have gained more importance, their role is increasingly recognized, and you are becoming part of a process, becoming ambassadors for the mountains”.

Rosalaura Romeo, Program Officer at the Mountain Partnership Secretariat.

This stated Rosalaura Romeo as she concluded her presentation, summarising what she considers the main goal of the Latin American IPROMO course: to create a network of alumni who take on the responsibility of advocating for the mountains and putting them on the global agenda. This sentiment was shared by the 40 participants of the second edition of the course, emphasizing the need to continue building a community made up of actors from various sectors, ranging from academia to civil society organizations, from the private to the public sector. They are all united by the enthusiasm to work for the mountains and their communities.

The Latin American IPROMO 2023 course, titled “Gestión sostenible de socio-ecosistemas de altura en Latinoamérica: cambios y continuidad en paisajes de montaña (Sustainable Management of High Mountain Socio-Ecosystems in Latin America: Changes and Continuity in Mountain Landscapes),” brought together 20 experts in mountain ecosystems with 40 students from 10 Latin American countries between September 4 and 15. With an agenda specially designed to promote participatory learning and interaction among peers, the second edition of Latin American IPROMO achieved the ambitious goal of consolidating the success of the first Latin American IPROMO in 2021, which marked a milestone in the training efforts for sustainable development of mountain ecosystems for Spanish-speaking actors.

The initiative of the Latin American IPROMO stems from the international IPROMO program, a course organized since 2008 by the Secretariat of the FAO Mountain Partnership. In 2021, CONDESAN, through the Adaptation at Altitude program and with the support of the Mountain Partnership, led the planning and implementation of a Spanish-language edition. This time, the course focused on the role of mountain ecosystems in our countries’ sustainability, the impact of environmental and social changes on landscape dynamics, land use, food security, and advances and prospects in regional governance.

The course included nine keynote lectures by experts from the region and the presentation of fourteen case studies from regions throughout the continent. In addition to question-and-answer sessions, debates, and forums, numerous interactive spaces encouraged peer interaction.

“We believe that the key to promoting all processes and maintaining them over time is training. All the knowledge that CONDESAN has generated in its projects is made available to these programs.”

María Argüello, Executive Director of CONDESAN

This “horizontal” structure was designed to promote participatory work and reinforce the integration of the students of Latin American IPROMO 2023 into the IPROMO International alumni network. It’s a growing group of project, program, and policy implementers from both the public and private sectors, all advancing initiatives to work together towards development goals in their countries. In spaces like IPROMO, people working for the mountains worldwide find the opportunity to interact with peers from other countries and regions, and, most importantly, the assurance that they are not alone, that they belong to a broad community. Students, teachers, and organizers all agreed on this key learning: there are many of us advocating for the sustainable development of mountain ecosystems, and, if we work together, we can become a powerful force for change.

“As part of the Adaptation at Altitude program supported by Swiss Cooperation, we seek to promote various global initiatives—from knowledge, from action and through dialogues like this —that can influence policy issues for the sustainable management of our mountain ecosystems. These ecosystems are particularly crucial in Latin America as they provide a range of livelihoods. Therefore, COSUDE is increasingly dedicated to supporting and contributing to the protection of these ecosystems against the impacts of climate change. (…) I leave with key values for cooperation. This opportunity to work together and have this confidence to collaborate is strategic to continue promoting new actions in the region. If we connect everything we do in the Andes, every little action contributes.”

Jocelyn Ostolaza, COSUDE Regional Program Officer

The 2023 edition of the Latin American IPROMO course was organized by CONDESAN’s Adaptation at Altitude program, which is technically and financially supported by the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development, COSUDE. It was sponsored by the FAO (Secretariat of the Mountain Partnership) and the South American Civil Society Organizations Group of the Mountain Partnership. videos of the daily sessions and the presentations shared can be seen on the IPROMO 2023 website. 

Source: CONDESAN

Useful link:
Fact Sheet Adaptation at Altitude program (Span)