2011 Manifesto Lucerna
Mountains are vital for sustainable development and human wellbeing. More than half of the earth’s population depends on fresh water coming from mountains. Mountains also provide a number of important global goods and key services which are under increasing pressure from globalization and climate change.
Following the invitation of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (FAO), international experts and policy makers met in Lucerne on 11 and 12 October 2011 to convey the importance of mountains to the Rio +20 summit.
Protecting future water supplies, reducing poverty in mountain populations and unlocking the economic potential of mountains calls for the following actions:
1) Adapt and develop mountain governance that takes into account the unique characteristics of mountains in order to overcome poverty, food insecurity, and social exclusion.
2) Facilitate mountain communities to gain fair access to resources and share benefits of their use equitably.
3) Involve mountain people in decision making processes that concern their livelihood, economy, environment, and culture.
4) Strengthen and develop national, regional and global institutions that address highland-lowland interactions and transboundary cooperation, support capacity building, generation and dissemination of knowledge, technical expertise and innovation for sustainable mountain development.
5) Provide enabling conditions and incentives for investment by the private sector in sustainable development in mountain areas and include appropriate funding in national budgets in order to enhance wellbeing and reduce disparities.
6) Recognize the vulnerability of mountain ecosystems within the three Rio conventions and adopt action plans for each related to sustainable development.
7) Make best use of all new and existing funding mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility. 
Lucerne, 11 October 2011
www.mountainpartnership.org
Mountains for the World: Call for Action
Iterei Iguassu