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International Mountain Day 2025

11 December 2025, Video Message
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General for the International Mountain Day 2025 High-Level Event:
“Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond”

Language English

Duration 3m41s

Edit Version Full Mix

Video Type Video Message

Date 12/11/2025

File size 428.57 MB

Unique ID UF1BC2O

Production details and shotlist

Script Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Colleagues,

1. Welcome to this year’s celebration of International Mountain Day.

2. A year during which FAO has been celebrating the great achievement on global food security and sustainable development over the past 80 years.

3. As the lead UN agency for mountains, and the host of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, FAO has coordinated and contributed to this International Day for over twenty years.

4. This year’s theme “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond” is very well fit for the FAO mandate.

5. Millions of people rely on mountain water for their daily life and economy,
sustaining cultural traditions, especially Indigenous communities in landlocked countries.

6. But the climate is changing fast.

7. Mountain regions are warming more rapidly than the global average.

8. Over the past years, we have seen the most rapid glacier retreat. As glaciers disappear, mountainous and downstream communities face growing risks that affect crop production, rangelands and livelihood of mountainous people.

9. Yet, notwithstanding the many challenges, mountain communities continue to show remarkable ingenuity that has helped protect fragile mountain ecosystems for centuries.

10. We need to strengthen support to these communities to help them turn these challenges into opportunities.

11. Terrace farming, agroforestry and food diversification are good alternatives
to increase resilience against climate shocks.

12. In Kyrgyzstan, FAO has supported the construction of artificial glaciers, which in some regions has helped store over 1.5 million cubic metres of ice – enough to irrigate stretches of land.

13. In Bolivia, FAO and IAEA are helping install sensors on a glacier to monitor snow accumulation and melt, to better inform farmers and policymakers on water availability.

14. These examples illustrate how technology is driving progress across mountain regions.

Dear Mountain Friends,

15. Transformed agrifood systems that are efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable are central to adaptation in mountain regions.

16. We must encourage sustainable agricultural practices and integrated water resource management, strengthen capacity development, promote youth action, and provide the linkage between Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and science.

17. FAO is committed to continue supporting initiatives such as the Mountain Partnership, the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions, and the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025.

18. With strong and coordinated global action we can help preserve glaciers and secure water and food for all,

19. And ensure the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for mountain people everywhere – leaving no one behind.

20. Thank you.

QU Dongyu, FAO Director General - Video

Video messages - Qu Dongyu, FAO Director General

2025 DG Video messages - ALL

12 - December

International Mountain Day 2025

(Standard Video)

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