This dialogue, organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, aims to show the specificity of mountain food systems as well as generate innovative and diverse solutions for more sustainable mountain food systems – solutions that could be useful for shaping more sustainable food systems worldwide.  

The only UN alliance that promotes the sustainable development of mountain areas and works towards building the resilience of mountain peoples worldwide, the Mountain Partnership counts more than 400 members among governments, intergovernmental organizations and major groups (e.g. civil society, NGOs and the private sector).  

Mountains cover more than one-quarter of the Earth’s land surface and are home to 1.1 billion people, almost 15 percent of the world’s population. More than 90 percent of the world’s mountain dwellers live in developing countries, including 648 million people in rural areas, where a vast majority live below the poverty line and one out of two people faces the threat of food insecurity.

Mountains are key ecosystems, providing goods and services to the planet worldwide. They maintain freshwater reserves, and due to their topographical diversity, steep environmental gradients and climatic conditions, they host unique ecosystems. About 50 percent of all global biodiversity hotspots are hosted in mountain regions (17 out of 34). Mountain species co-exist thanks to their different climate preferences and have high genetic diversity, which is a prerequisite for adaptation to new climate conditions. 

This dialogue aims to draw attention to: 

1. the disproportionately high level of food insecure people living in mountain areas; 
2. sustainable food systems‘ role as drivers of mountain development due to their potential for small– and medium-sized enterprises, and their links with tourism and niche markets;
3. the globally relevant ecosystem services and goods provided by mountains, such as water provision and regulation, erosion control and disaster risk reduction as well as biodiversity and agrobiodiversity conservation; and 
4. the need to discuss inclusive policies and governance systems in mountains and develop approaches that can create enabling environments for change. 

The vulnerabilities of mountain people, the potential of sustainable mountain food systems as development drivers, and the importance of mountain ecosystem services make including mountains in political debates a necessity.  

The dialogue is for Mountain Partnership members and relevant stakeholders to raise their voices about the relevance of developing more sustainable food systems in mountains during the consultation process leading to the Summit and to propose solutions to achieve these goals.   

By bringing together stakeholders from within and outside of the mountain community, the dialogue seeks to identify innovative and diverse solutions for mountain food systems, imagining an ideal scenario for 2030.