Green Economy for Sustainable Mountain Development; A concept paper for Rio+20 and beyond

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) to be held in June 2012 will have green economy as one of its two main themes. This paper has been prepared to strengthen arguments for discussing mountain issues at Rio+20 and in other global discourses. The aim is to ensure renewed efforts and commitment by the global community at Rio+20 to prioritise mountain issues in development agendas and processes dealing with poverty reduction, food security, climate change, and other issues that are critical to sustainable development in mountain areas. The paper is the outcome of three days’ deliberation among key stakeholders at the International Conference on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development, jointly organised by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Kathmandu, Nepal from 5 to 7 September 2011