14th International Mountain Day Observation at Utah Valley University

On December 5th, 2023, the 14th International Mountain Day observation took place at Utah Valley University

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Poster signed by Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva:

"Congratulation to UIMF members with successful 14th International Mountain Day Observation. December 5, 2023."

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On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU) celebrated International Mountain Day. I was part of this event virtually and was glad to hear the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to the UN speak on the theme: Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions on the 14th International Mountain Day observation at UVU.

The event was hosted through a Student-Engaged Learning (SEL) model. SEL encourages students to work as a group to solve a practical problem, with their teacher mentoring them to pursue this goal. SEL as a core of the model stimulated students to arrange all stages of the IMD observation including its logistics, agenda, protocol among others.

The event began with the UIMF president, Stephan Atkinson giving a welcome speech.

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Stephan Atkinson, UIMF President welcoming the audience

Next, Dr. Baldomero Lago, Chief International Officer at UVU welcomed all by thanking each and everyone gathered on that day. He began his speech by greeting and welcoming Madam Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva. He mentioned the relationship UVU developed in the past years with the Kyrgyz Republic with the help of former UN Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the USA, Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev. The Office of Global Engagement at UVU is fully affiliated with the UN via different channels like the Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC). It is currently applying to the affiliation with UNESCO as well. He also mentioned of establishment of a UNESCO Hub at UVU next year called UNESCO Chair which is currently at UCLA. UVU hosted multiple events with the UN: in 2019, and in 2022, UVU hosted the First International Academic Conference on SDGs “Why It Matters”. UVU promotes the UN’s 2030 Global Agenda and invites dignitaries to speak at special events.

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Dr. Baldomero Lago extending his greetings

Next, Stephan Atkinson gave a short introduction on the event and how everyone with the commitment of saving the mountains and its ecosystems in some way or the other has gathered to celebrate the IMD, 2023. Having already served in the global leadership council, this day held a special significance to Stephan and thus he is very honored as a UIMF current president to host the 14th IMD at UVU with the gracious presence of the Permanent Representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to UN. He then gave a brief introduction about Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva.

From 2018 - 2021, Aida Kasymalieva was the vice speaker of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan and the acting speaker in 2021. Ambassador Kasymalieva presented her credentials to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres on February 15 last year. During her tenure as a vice speaker, she was part of the council that advocated against gender-based violence and human rights. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Master’s degree in International Relations. Before serving the government, Ambassador Kasymalieva was also a journalist focused on human rights, particularly on the rights of immigrants, women, and children.

Ambassador Kasymalieva addressing the audience

Initially, she thanked Dr. Lago and his office for inviting her to visit the state of Utah to speak on the occasion of the 14th annual International Mountain Day observation at UVU. As the chair of the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries and also as the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyz Republic to the UN, she emphasized how this occasion is important for her to talk about sustainable mountain communities and the associated ecosystems. Utah’s magnificent mountains reminded her of home and she was glad to know that almost 40-50% of Utah is covered by mountains. Both the state of Utah and Kyrgyz Republic have similar territories with twice the population and 90% of Kyrgyzstan are mountains. All these similarities create a foundation for why these two states have built special ties with each other as mountain communities since 1999.

Kyrgyzstan has been advocating for the interests of mountain regions and its people since its independence and it has been the main sponsor of the UN resolution, 1998 to observe 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM). She also mentioned how in 2002, Kyrgyzstan hosted the First Global Mountain Summit at Bishkek. Due to the efforts of the Kyrgyz Republic and other mountain nations, the summit decisions led to the adoption of the Bishkek Mountain Platform which later led to the announcement of the 11th of December as International Mountain Day and the establishment of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, a specialized agency at UN-FAO to monitor Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD).

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Ambassador Kasymalieva addressing the audience

She continued her talks on why mountains are important for us. Firstly, with 13% of the world’s population living in the mountains globally, they are the major resource provider for 90% of the people in developing countries (915 Million). Second, one-third of the world’s forests are in mountain regions at higher elevations helps absorb rainwater in huge quantities which prevents erosion and landslides. Moreover, there is also the sacred importance of mountains for people. Mountains are the home to one-fourth of the world’s biodiversity and specialized species which remains intact despite urbanization. There are no second thoughts on how mountains are called the water towers of the world. Last but not least, water is important for the production of hydropower.

Mountain ecosystems are degrading and facing harsh reality in this era of climate change placing mountain dwellers in a vulnerable situation. Mountain glaciers are melting more rapidly than usual and water resources are decreasing. Kyrgyzstan has always prioritized the mountain agenda at the top by fostering border international cooperation and also pushed the resolution along with Italy which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 2023 - 2027 as “ Five years of action for the development of mountains”. This gives all the mountainous countries a platform to enhance the awareness of challenges faced by the mountain people and address the challenges. The outcome of this action will be discussed in the Second Global Summit to be held in Bishkek in 2027.

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Ambassador Kasymalieva addressing the audience

She also emphasized how UVU’s History and Political Science (HPOLS) Department has made efforts for their students to work with the peers of the Kyrgyz Republic towards the success of advocating SMD for mountain regions. UVU was the first university in North America to join the Mountain Partnership in 2006, which was the result of the partnership between UVU and the International University of Kyrgyzstan (IUK) in Bishkek and later strengthened the Bilateral cooperation amongst them.

Ambassador Kasymalieva also mentioned Congressman Joseph Pitts (who was attending the event virtually) who along with Senator Sam Brownback contributed to many legislative exchanges because of which many members from Kyrgyzstan were invited by the US, e.g., the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event held at Washington D.C. since 1997. UVU also mediates an opportunity to create a trilateral partnership with Congressman Pitts and his Center for Public Policy at Asbury University in Kentucky (located at the heart of the Appalachian Mountains) and academic institutions in the Kyrgyz Republic to work towards SMD via the educational program.

Being a woman from strong roots, Ambassador Kasymalieva appreciates the efforts put forth by UVU to advocate gender equality as a part of SMD by hosting the International Women of Mountains Conference (WOMC) since 2007 under the umbrella of Mountain Partnership. This conference covers vital topics related to the challenges for mountain women's empowerment through economic, political, social, and technological means, and facilitation of their leadership roles, among others. The first WOMC highlighted the agenda of promoting gender equality and building regional networks between Central Asia and the Rocky Mountain States. Another important step that the UVU initiated was the development of a Student Engaged Learning (SEL) educational model where traditional and non-traditional students work as a group advocate for SMD under the mentorship of faculty professors. A coalition of clubs at UVU, UIMF was thus created so that the non-traditional students could balance their education, family, and job responsibilities with the traditional students.

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Ambassador Kasymalieva addressing the audience

Since 2010, UVU students have observed International Mountain Day (IMD) on December 11th, every year, and on December 5th, 2023, UVU is the only institution in North America wherein its students witnessed the 14th annual IMD. IMD observations provide an important platform for students to gain knowledge and experiences to advocate for SMD professionally through SEL. Students hosted the fourth International WOMC in Orem, Utah through the SEL. 70 students, 4 semesters to prepare agenda, logistics, and accommodate more than 100 participants which included global government officials, diplomats, and scholars, and the Kyrgyz Republic was part of it.

The UNSG report on SMD, 2016 featured UIMF as part of the above conference. It specifically targets the aspects of sustainable mountain development. The UVU delegation together with the officials from the Kyrgyz Republic advocated for the importance of sustainable mountain development during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 (RIO+20). Moreover, in 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals as the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The joint efforts of UVU students and their peers in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2013-15 led to the adoption of three targets of UN 2030 for sustainable development including target 6.6, target 15.1, and target 15.4. The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Csaba Korosi also spoke to her on how his Open Working Group worked with UVU faculty and students during his visit to UVU last May.

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Keith Morgan, Orem-Lindon Rotary Club President , asks question

Also, on the occasion of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in the United Arab Emirates recently, UVU students and their peers in Bishkek and Osh laid the platform for the mountain issues to be discussed by this important forum and Madam Ambassador was thankful for that. UVU's partnership with IUK and Osh Technological University (OshTU) stimulated students to implement service projects since 2016 which benefited the local communities and the results of these were reported during the sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

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Allan Brock, UVU political science student, asks question

Last March, I was fortunate to be one of the speakers when the Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan together with the Mountain Partnership co-hosted a side event advocating for mountain women, girls, and families during the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The event was moderated by Alitha Thompson, a non-traditional student. The panel included 17 presenters, including 5 diplomats, 2 United Nations representatives, 3 faculty members, and 7 students from UVU, the Kyrgyz Republic, China, South Sudan, and myself from India. I expressed my opinion on Women’s Status in India and experienced the benefits of UVU’s SEL model, which is student-driven and professionally implemented.

Ambassador Kasymalieva concluded her speech by stating that the ties between students using the SEL model should be strengthened, which would lead to facilitating more programs of educational exchanges and research with a focus on sustainable mountain development both in the State of Utah and in the Kyrgyz Republic. This is a very good opportunity for us, even if it's on a small scale, to contribute to the implementation of the Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions.

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Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, UIMF mentor addressed the audience

Stephan gave a short introduction to the next speaker, who is also my mentor, Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, current lecturer in the Department of History and Political Science at UVU and also the focal point of Mountain Partnership under the umbrella of FAO. He also served as the Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the USA from 1997 - 2005.

Dr. Abdrisaev began his speech by emphasizing the importance of celebrating International Mountain Day every year at UVU. He mentioned that UVU celebrating IMD since 2010 and based on the SEL model, the traditional and non-traditional students get to work as a group, and faculty members serve as their mentors. The academic paper published in 2020 related to the SEL model was also present at the venue for the audience to read. The soul of this paper greatly highlights the fact on the importance of celebrating IMD in academia. In the coming year, the students at UVU will also be studying SMD as a subject and IMD as the highlight of the Research paper via Problem-Based Learning, which sounded very interesting to me as being a researcher in the field of SMD. The three educational programs at UVU are focused on experiential learning at the UN: The United Nations Academic Impact, Model United Nations (focused on practically working with UN’s ECOSOC), and Internships at the UN. All these educational program initiatives are very helpful to students especially the non-traditional who sometimes are unable to go to the UN and get recognized. Finally, he thanked Madam Ambassador for coming to UVU and ended his speech.

Next, in the speech was the Honorable Joseph Pitts, who served as the US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 16th congressional district from 1997 to 2017. He spoke from Asbury University in Kentucky virtually via Zoom along with the students from the university as well.

The Honorable Joseph Pitts addresses the audience

He congratulated UVU for serving the IMD event for the 14th time to raise awareness of the importance of SMD in mountain communities. Since the establishment of Asbury University in 1890, it provided a variety of academic programs for its graduates on the well-being of local communities in the US, especially in the Appalachian Mountains. He concluded his short speech by mentioning that he is grateful for the invitation from UVU to the students from Asbury University to attend the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to be held in New York in March 2024 and thanking the audience for their attention.

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Janessa Purcell, Vice President for UVU Rotaract introduces speakers from the Kyrgyz Republic

Janessa Purcell, treasurer of the UIMF introduced the speaker next in line, Dastan Abikov , CEO - of theneoplace.com and the former president of Rotaract Club in Bishkek. He expressed his excitement for all the forthcoming contributions that he can make with the collaboration with UVU on SMD. He speaks on how Kyrgyzstan is an example of how collaboration can bring about positive change and he is looking forward to the UN CSW 68 in March. He believes that SMD should also be prioritizing the empowerment of women ensuring their role in shaping our future. He ended his speech by expressing his delight in being able to join the UVU Rotaract on this occasion of IMD-2023.

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Dastan Abikov , former president of Rotaract Club in Bishkek greets the audience.

Dastan introduced the next speaker in line, his colleague, Aidana Nurlanova, who shared the same commitment to service in women empowerment and shared her insights on the growing membership of the Bishkek Rotaract Club and the projects under the club.

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Aidana Nurlanova , Vice president of the Bishkek Rotaract Nomad Club addresses the audience

Aidana Nurlanova is the vice president of the Bishkek Rotaract Nomad Club and also an eco-activist in volunteer activities. She spoke on how her club promotes the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and pays special attention to Mountain regions’ environmental protection and human rights. The Rotaract Club of Bishkek was founded in 2017 and has currently 89 members. They are engaged in various social and environmental projects. They use all the resources to support various charitable projects like single mothers, orphans, and large families. She stated one of the important projects under the topic of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is promoting human rights, especially for women in Central Asia. They also conduct several campaigns and seminars together with UN women to protect women's rights in several issues like kidnapping, early marriage, and trafficking. This spring the club is also conducting activities to plant forests all around the country on the occasion of International Water Day. She is looking forward to beginning the preparations for the UN-CSW 68 along with the UVU Rotaractors to be held in March.

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Dr. Atabekov Almaz, chair of the management department in OshTU greets the audience

Janessa introduced the next speaker, Dr. Atabekov Almaz, chair of the management department in OshTU since 2009. In 2021, OshTU began to implement the SEL model to learn the new in-demand skills. OshTU has been collaborating with UVU since December 2012 and in later years students from UVU also visited OshTU during the event of International Conference on Climate Change in the mountains. This kind of engagement helps students to solve practical problems as a group activity which the students must learn from each other. Faculty associated with these kinds of activities help students by guiding them to solve real-world problems and the students and faculties hold weekly meetings to master these kinds of activities. Using SEL, the students were able to report on the State of Tourism in Kyrgyzstan and also contribute to the 67th session CSW via an online format. This was possible under the guidance of faculty from UVU and he is hoping that in the forthcoming session, the students from OshTU will be able to contribute in the 68th session in person.

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Tatiana Panfilenko, lecturer at OshTU speaks about her students.

Tatiana Panfilenko, spoke next. She teaches history, geology and geotechtonics at the Department of Mineral Resources at OshTU. Since 2021, her students from OshTU are using the SEL model under the guidance of UVU which has been using it since 2011. Dr. Abdrisaev and Alitha Thompson have been a great help to the students in OshTU in achieving their goals of helping the mountain communities and addressing the challenges, especially among the women in mountains. She speaks on how their partnership with UVU, they were able to witness successes with new knowledge and skills and contribute to the 2030 agenda of SDGs.

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Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva presented certificates from FAO-UN to Dr. Rusty Butler (left photo) and Ivan and Judy Keller (right photo)

Lastly, Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva presented certificates from FAO-UN to UVU faculty, students, representatives of local communities, who contributed to the promotion of sustainable mountain development during 2023.

During separate meeting Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva discussed plans for cooperation with a HPOLS faculty and students within the 5 years of actions for the development of mountain regions. She emphasized the importance and contribution of UVU HPOLS faculty and students in promotion of sustainable mountain development in the State of Utah and at the United Nations and the necessity to continue to partner with academic institutions from the Kyrgyz Republic.

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Ambassador Aida Kasymalieva during the meeting with HPOLS faculty and students

This event is an important for me as I have been working on sustainable mountain development since 2021 with UIMF. Celebrating this day highlights the work all have been pouring in to make the world realize that the mountains are important. We have to protect them when it is possible. Native to the mountain areas of Southern India, I have personally seen the disasters that affect the mountain people and how disturbed the ecosystems are due to the wrath of climate change. I am really glad that nations are coming together for this purpose and hopefully in the coming years, programs like SEL and subjects like SMD will be implemented and studied in Indian universities as well.

- Priyanka Prem Kumar, UIMF Member

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