Kyrgyzstan Wins Second-Ranking Post on UN Mountain Partnership Steering Committee

Kyrgyzstan’s government will hold the First Vice-Chair seat on the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee for the 2026–2030 term, a move that officials say will strengthen the country’s influence on international mountain policy and funding decisions. The election took place at the partnership’s global gathering in Andorra late last month, where member states discussed strategies to boost local economies and protect fragile highland environments.

The Mountain Partnership, set up in 2002 by Italy and Switzerland with backing from the U.N. Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization, brings together states and organizations working on mountain issues. Delegates from several countries — including Germany, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Montenegro and Nepal — joined Kyrgyzstan and Italy at the three-day meeting, alongside representatives from FAO, the U.N. tourism agency, UNESCO, the OSCE, UNEP, UNDP and the U.N. climate convention. Italy, which provides the largest share of funding, kept the chairmanship.

Representing Kyrgyzstan, Dinara Kemelova — the president’s envoy for mountain affairs — urged closer cooperation among mountain nations to advance shared agendas at global forums. She announced that Bishkek will host the next major summit, dubbed “Bishkek+25,” from Oct. 21–23, 2027, and described her country’s rollout of a Five-Year Action Plan for mountain development (2023–2027), which prioritizes community-based ecotourism and organic farming. Officials also staged an exhibition showcasing mountain-made goods from Kyrgyz producers during the Andorra sessions.

Participants closed the meeting by approving the Andorra Declaration, a compact that aims to ramp up international commitments to sustainable development in highland zones. The document highlights mountains’ contributions to climate stability, species richness and food provision, while also noting their heightened exposure to extreme weather, biodiversity loss and other global pressures. It calls for targeted investments in climate resilience, better scientific collaboration and measures to support disadvantaged local groups.

Mountains cover about one-fourth of the planet’s terrestrial area and shelter roughly 1.2 billion people; they also contain 25 out of the world’s 36 recognized biodiversity hotspots. The declaration lists several focus areas: growing responsible tourism as an income source, expanding climate and nature financing, improving research links among institutions, and strengthening services for women, young people and indigenous communities. It also stresses the need to narrow the digital gap in remote valleys and to upgrade early-warning systems and infrastructure to withstand hazards.

Local analysts say the vice-chair appointment could translate into more projects and donor attention for Kyrgyz mountain communities. ‘This role gives us a better platform to push for small-scale investments that directly benefit alpine villages,’ said Dr. Aida Mamatova, a mountain-policy specialist at a Bishkek university. With the Bishkek+25 summit on the calendar, Kyrgyz officials say they plan to use the next two years to convert promises on paper into tangible programs at the village level.