4 April 2016 No Comment

For Immediate Release

University Marketing & Communications: Melinda Colton | 801-863-6807

|[email protected] Written by: Barbara Christiansen | 801-863-8208 | [email protected]

Utah Valley University is consistently expanding its scope – not only in outreach, but in recognition it received from around the state, nation and the globe.

One of the most recent agencies to honor the University is the United Nations. In its Annual Report 2015 of the Mountain Partnership under the Food and Agriculture Organization, there was note of UVU and its role in promoting gender and sustainable mountain development (SMD).

UVU hosted the Fourth International Women of the Mountain Conference in October 2015, and that conference was one of the items mentioned in the report lauding the University.

“It is awesome that we were able to have such recognition, when UVU celebrates its 75th anniversary,” said Deann Torsak, executive secretary of WOMC.

UVU has a student intern at Mountain Partnership Secretariat – Yanko Dzhukev, who said, “The fact that UVU and the WOMC have been included in this leading UN annual report speaks to the high professional level of UVU on gender issues and SMD. UVU was highlighted among just two universities from North America to do so.”

UVU’s role was considered one of the highlights of the effort, according to the report.

“In 2015, civil society members realized a range of initiatives in support of sustainable mountain development in the region,” it says. “Here are some highlights: The Utah International Mountain Forum hosted the Fourth International Women of the Mountains Conference on 7-9 October; international officials, scholars and experts focused on gender and sustainable mountain development issues. Students mobilized support for the MP petition calling for climate action in mountains. [They also] Held an International Mountain Day celebration.”

The meeting helped coordinate the efforts of some of the major groups based in the United States, the report says. The annual report may be viewed at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5490e.pdf