Nainital Summit brings mountain-specific issues to the fore

GANGTOK, 27 May: A two-day “Sustainable Mountain Development Summit” of the Indian Mountain Initiative (IMI) concluded on 22 May in Nainital (Uttarakhand) India. The summit was an attempt to bring together the 11 mountain states of India on a common platform and put mountain specific issues in the forefront including incorporating these into the planning process.
The summit was inaugurated by the Uttarakhand Governor, Margaret Alva, who, in her inaugural address, said that in coming years there will be increased dependence on mountain resources like water, biodiversity and recreation, while with growing population they are becoming scarce posing problems to sustainable mountain development [SMD]. The inaugural session was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner, Nagaland, Alemtemshi Jamir, and Principal Secretary, Planning, Government of Meghalaya, KS Kropha.

Addressing the inaugural session, the Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, PD Rai, lauded the IMI effort and offered to host the next Summit in Sikkim. He emphasised the need for setting up a think-tank to deliberate on the unique needs of mountain regions and how they could be addressed best and communicating these to the formulation process of the 12th Five Year Plan.
Such efforts, he expressed, would hopefully culminate in the setting up of a Ministry for Mountain Development.
Director General of ICIMOD Nepal, Dr. Andreas Schild emphasized upon the need of Sustainable Mountain Development and taking mountain agenda forward during RIO+20 Earth Summit. He informed that despite a number of global and regional meetings mountain agenda was not be given due importance by world leaders as it should have been. He lauded upon the need of generating robust scientific knowledge in Himalayan region which is lacking at present.
Dr. Schild mentioned that during RIO Summit in 1992 the mountain agenda was brought to the forefront by European delegation, and it is now the turn of developing countries of the Himalayan region to take the agenda forward in RIO+20.
Convener of IMI summit, Dr. RS Tolia, informed about the initiative and need of mainstreaming SMD agenda in to the planning of all 11 Indian mountain states. He said that the summit throws up new ideas, new initiatives and renewed reorientation of SMD.
The two day summit concluded with a valedictory session chaired by Vice Chancellor, Doon University, Prof Girijesh Pant, and Chairman, State Biodiversity Board, Uttarakhand, Dr BS Burfal.