The United Nations designates specific days, weeks, years and decades as occasions to mark particular events or issues in order to promote, through awareness and action, the goals of the Organization. In general, it is one or more Member States that propose these celebrations and the General Assembly establishes them with a resolution. On occasions, these celebrations are declared by specialized agencies of the United Nations, such as UNESCO, UNICEF, FAO, etc.

Accordingly, this year, 2022, has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development

Recognizing that, despite the progress achieved in promoting the sustainable development of mountain regions and the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biological diversity, the prevalence of poverty, food insecurity, social exclusion, environmental degradation and exposure to disaster risk continues to rise, particularly in developing countries, and safe and affordable access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and modern and sustainable energy services remains limited, noting the work of collaboration of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions (Mountain Partnership), established at the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a multi-stakeholder approach and dedicated to promoting sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental—in mountain regions through means such as existing regional initiatives.