SECOND INTERREGIONAL WORKSHOP

The Second Mountains Connect Interregional Workshop was held from 20-22 April 2026 in and around Thimphu, Bhutan. Hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Royal Government of Bhutan.

The workshop re-connected over 50 mountain adaptation stakeholders from the Alps, the Andes, the South Caucasus, the Carpathians, the East African Community, Central Asia, and the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Participants represented competent authorities (Ministry focal points of regional mountain governance mechanisms), mountain governance institutions and frameworks (i.e. Secretariats), and global or regional science networks. The workshop aimed to advance interregional cooperation and foster learning on regional mountain governance, resource mobilization and science-policy interfaces.

The workshop has been funded by Adaptation at Altitude, a collaborative programme launched and co-funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 

Mountains Connect workshop participants from six different regions gather in Thimphu for interregional learning and exchange (c) Karma Cheki, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Bhutan

Main Outcomes

  • Common mountain range governance needs and approaches were identified and elaborated for improving them along identified seven governance dimensions.
  • Capacities of participants on strengthening resource and funding base for regional governance and collaborative action were further developed.
  • New partnerships between mountain regions, including secretariats, were initiated and existing ones strengthened.
  • Latest scientific activities and governance aspects relevant to data and monitoring were discussed with policy stakeholders.
  • Stronger interregional collaboration and joint efforts for promoting mountain areas at the global policy level, especially the UNFCCC and Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions (2023-2027), were discussed and tangible entry points identified.

For a full description of the workshop, as well as highlights from mountain regions and potential ways forward for enhancing interregional collaboration, please consult the summary on the Adaptation at Altitude website.