2011 Women of the Mountains Conference

On March 8-9 Utah Valley University has the pleasure to once again host the Women of the Mountains Conference. Utah has come to be known as one of the leading examples in mountain development.

In the 150 years since Utah has been formally settled, exponential growth has occurred and women have played a vital role in its success. The state of Utah has overcome multiple obstacles on account of its harsh mountain geography. Utah has skillfully navigated these problems and through hard work and collaboration among citizens has been able to master such difficulties.

The Women of the Mountains Conference will engage the distinct challenges faced by mountain communities across the globe, as well as addressing the important role that women play in the development of such regions. One of the main objectives of the conference is to raise awareness and mobilize support from institutions within the U.S. mountain states and global mountain entities, and to assist in the sustainable development of the mountain communities of the world, particularly as it applies to women and children. Unfortunately in many developing mountain nations women and children are hugely misrepresented and their roles are not fully realized.

After successfully hosting the 2007 Women of the Mountains Conference, Utah Valley University earned a reputation as an innovator and leader in sustainable mountain development and women’s roles. The Conference held at Utah Valley University was the first of its kind, and was pivotal in that it addressed the importance of development through the greater roles of women.

At the Conference there were many of the leading figures in sustainable mountain development and women’s roles. They first sought to identify known problems that hinder the success of mountain regions, and then to create practical solutions through dialogue, networking and then implementation of ideas specific to each region.

The 2011 Women of the Mountains Conference seeks to develop direct ties between U.S. mountain states (Utah) and other mountainous countries around the world. The Orem Declaration of Mountain Women, which was produced at the close of the close of the 2007 Conference was recognized at the international level. The United Nations and the World Bank have taken an interest in the activities of Utah.

On the 3^rd of August 2009 the Secretary General of the United Nations addressed the General Assembly on the issue of sustainable mountain development. The Assembly was interested in “status of sustainable mountain development at the national and international levels, including an overall analysis of the challenges that lie ahead, and provides suggestions for consideration by the Assembly as to how to continue to promote and effectively sustain development in mountain regions around the world within the existing policy context.”

The Secretary General then reported that “In response to the Orem Declaration of Mountain Women (the final document of The Women of the Mountains Conference, 2007, organized by Utah Valley University and the Utah-Russia Institute in Orem, Utah, United States of America), several institutions in the Rocky Mountain States of North America established a regional network on sustainable mountain development and gender issues. This led to exchanges of state legislatures/parliaments between Rocky Mountain States and mountain nations in Central Asia; including support of sales by Vista 360, a non-governmental organization based in the United States of hand-made local handicrafts from the mountains of Central Asia in the United States and the funding of cultural exchanges.”

In hosting the 2011 Women of the Mountains Conference, Utah Valley University and the state of Utah are displaying their leadership in achieving true sustainable mountain development on a global scale. Through the Conference Utahans will have a better view of the global mountain community, the obstacles ahead of them, and how practical solutions already implemented in our state will be able to assist in further development abroad.

Please support our State in getting involved with the Conference and help facilitate sustainable mountain development. For further questions or information please feel free to contact us at womenofthemountains@gmail.com.

The Women of the Mountains Conference

Utah Valley University LI 120

March 8-9 2011

Photos Courtesy of

http://ismaili.net/mirrors/pamir_001/page3/taj.htm

http://www.crockettclan.org/blog/?page_id=97

Miss Utah, Cristina Lowe on the Future of the State

While serving as Miss Utah for the past six months, I have come to understand the dynamic, resourceful, mountainous region that we live in. I have traveled every inch of the state and spoken to leaders in almost every city. As I returned from Miss America, I found myself quickly back in classes at Utah Valley University while still trying to maintain a schedule of public service. Funny that my first day back I ended up in one of the most intriguing classes about Sustainable Development. My professor, Baktybek Abdrisaev, is the former ambassador from Kyrgyzstan to the US and Canada. He brings a new perspective about our mountainous region that many of us most likely never think about. That perspective includes recognition that Utah has grown and sustained itself extremely well the past 150 years—despite the challenges that mountainous regions face. Why is this perspective so vital to Utah and its’ future growth you may ask?

Utah Valley University hosts an annual conference called The Women of the Mountains. It is a conference that highlights the importance that women play in helping maintain and create sustainable development in mountainous regions around the world. However, there is a broader purpose behind it—The Mountain Partnership. The Mountain Partnership is bringing countries, cities, groups and organizations together to work towards a common goal: to improve the lives of mountain people and protect mountain environments around the world in coming together to contribute ideas with the intention to benefit all members through joint efforts with the United Nations to create a dialogue on progress and new ideas between Mountain Communities.

The city of Orem just signed a resolution that supported their membership in The Mountain Partnership. Did I mention that they are the second city to join in the United States? Furthermore, the students of UVU are pushing for the State Legislature to support the same resolution that would make the whole state of Utah a member in the partnership. By passing this resolution and becoming a member of The Mountain Partnership, Utah would have the opportunity to send representatives to conferences, exchange economic, ecological, and infrastructural ideas with countries all around the world. This would additionally, create jobs for the citizens of Utah abroad, improve our own state’s economic policies and infrastructure all while gaining political clout on a global level.

As Miss Utah, I have traveled the state and I have met the incredible people that live here. I know the potential that Utah has and I understand the importance of this partnership for Utah. As a strong woman, I am also a strong advocate for empowering women. It is important for the women of Utah to see their role in creating these sustainable policies and changes that will inevitably follow a partnership such as this. Join our efforts and help Utah rise to it’s highest potential by contacting us at womenofthemountains@gmail.com, or get more information at

the Mountain Partnership's web site.

By Christina Lowe: Current Miss Utah and Student at Utah Valley University