Women living in the mountain regions of the world make major but invisible contributions to both their local and national economies. They are the main producers of food crops and are managers of common property resources, with principal responsibility for assuring food security. Women have access to, and control over, an enormous store of indigenous knowledge and wisdom. As men migrate and leave the mountains for long periods of time, mountain women’s workload and responsibilities increase substantially. Yet national policies and data hardly ever reflect these ground realities. Hence the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Mountain Forum proposed that an international meeting for and on mountain women be held during the International Year of Mountains (IYM) 2002 to highlight the role of women in sustainable mountain development. Most importantly, the gathering would be a ‘pinnacle’ event in a process whereby mountain women’s networks could grow, be strengthened, and contribute to more sensitive policies and practices that empower mountain women and communities in innovative ways.