Call for inputs, Global Sustainable Development Report 2019

Dear Mountain Partnership members and friends,

An opportunity has arisen to propose an inclusion in the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2019, which has been mandated by the United Nation’s Member States ().

The GSDR aims to strengthen the science-policy interface and provide a strong evidence-based instrument to support policymakers in promoting poverty eradication and sustainable development. It is a key means to follow-up on and review the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

(IGSE) is soliciting inputs to the report from scientific and non-scientific communities around the world in the form of publications and descriptions of case studies that should contribute to the following four issues: (1) Interactions among SDGs and their targets, (2) transformation pathways towards sustainable development; (3) looking beyond Goals, and (4) the role of science for sustainable development.

In order to make a stronger impact about the three mountain targets of the SDGs in the GSDR 2019 and impression on the selection committee members, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat suggests submitting reports or case studies by the Mountain Partnership members both: 1) individually to the IGSE and; 2) to the MPS, to prepare one consolidated input:

Individual approach:
Please submit individual reports directly to the IGSE which conform to the requirements stipulated in the call for inputs (). In this case, the Secretariat requests that individual submissions will include a preamble highlighting the mountain targets followed by the individual report itself. As one of the variants of the preamble, we propose the following language: “The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain three targets under two SDGs that specifically mention mountains: (6.6) protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes, (15.1) ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements, and (15.4) ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development. The Mountain Partnership Secretariat is directly involved in supporting the monitoring of target 15.4, having developed one of the official indicators, the Mountain Green Cover Index, of which the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is the custodian agency. As a member of the Mountain Partnership, we submit the following report, emphasizing…..

Consolidated approach:
The Secretariat also calls for the submission of a consolidated joint-report of inputs. Due to time constraints, we propose to focus its content on two of the four major areas mandated by the IGSE: 1) interaction among SDGs and their targets, and (2) transformation pathways towards sustainable development. Any reports with such a focus should be uploaded at the link In this case, submissions should be limited to under 400 words. It will be further compiled in one consolidated document by the members of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), as a student engaged learning (SEL*) initiative.

After uploading the report online, please send a confirmation message both about submission and specific area of its focus to one of the members of UIMF team: Derek Garfield: ; Lacee Meyer: ; or Matthew Rands: .

Please keep in mind that the deadline for submissions to the call for inputs for IGSE is 1 December 2017. Submissions to be included in the joint consolidated report from the MPS must be uploaded to the link by 22 November 2017.

For more information, access the GSDR 2019 call here:

Best regards,

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat

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*The SEL model provides students an opportunity to gain professional experiences and skills through practical, “hands-on” activities with faculty serving them as mentors.