about the UNited nations Mountain Partnership

The Mountain Partnership is a United Nations voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. The organization’s growing membership includes 60 mountain countries and over 350 NGOs, IGOs and other groups.

Formed in 2002 and headquartered in Rome, the Mountain Partnership has been involved in virtually all global environmental meetings including the COPs (UN formal meetings on environment). Together with the Mountain Partnership, the Aspen International Mountain Foundation (AIMF) wrote three of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

AIMF has served as vice-chair of the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee since being elected in 2013 and then re-elected in 2017. The chair is the Government of Italy. AIMF also serves as the regional representative for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. 

Mira Rai — 2020 MOUNTAIN PARTNERSHIP GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

Nepalese trail runner and sky runner, Mira Rai, was appointed a Mountain Partnership Goodwill Ambassador during the virtual International Mountain Day celebrations on Friday, 11 December 2020. She is the winner of 2017 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and is the founder of Mira Rai Initiative, a platform to empower trail runners in Nepal, especially female, and promote trail running as the mainstream adventure sport in Nepal. This initiative aims to give young female athletes an opportunity to chase their dreams and defy the challenges that hold them back. Mira Rai Initiative has been working with the Hong Kong Trail Running group since 2018 to run an Exchange and Empower program that aims to provide young talented female runners the opportunity to focus on athletic training, education and their professional development.