A/RES/71/234 Sustainable mountain development respected and promoted in development policy, strategies and programmes in mountain regions, and underlines the need to promote the full participation and involvement of local mountain communities in decisions that affect them and to integrate indigenous and local knowledge, heritage and values i n all development initiatives, in consultation with and with the consent of the concerned indigenous peoples and local mountain communities, as appropriate; 6. Notes that women are often the primary managers of mountain resources and the main actors in agriculture, underlines the need for improved access to resources, including land and economic and financial services, for women in mountain regions, as well as the need to strengthen the role of women in mountain regions in decision-making processes that affect their communities, cultures and environments, and encourages Governments and intergovernmental organizations to integrate the gender dimension, including data disaggregated by sex, in mountain development activities, programmes and projects; 7. Recognizes that mountains provide sensitive indications of climate change through phenomena such as modifications to biological diversity, the retreat of mountain glaciers, flash floods and changes in seasonal runoff, which are having an impact on major sources of freshwater in the world, and stresses the need to undertake actions to minimize the negative effects of these phenomena, promote adaptation measures and prevent the loss of biological diversity; 8. Encourages Member States to collect at the local, national and regional levels, as appropriate, disaggregated scientific data on mountain areas through systematic monitoring, including of trends of progress and change, based on relevant criteria, to support interdisciplinary research programmes and projec ts and to enhance an integrated and inclusive approach to decision-making and planning, and in this regard takes note of the consideration of the Mountain Green Cover Index in the global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets; 9. Encourages Member States and all relevant stakeholders to continue to increase public awareness with respect to the economic benefits that mountains provide, not only to highland communities but also to a large portion of the world’s population living in lowland areas; 10. Welcomes, in this regard, the contribution of sustainable tourism initiatives in mountain regions as a way to enhance environmental protection and generate socioeconomic benefits for local communities, including opportunities for productive employment, economic growth and the promotion of local culture and products; 11. Expresses its deep concern at the number and scale of natural and man-made disasters and their increasing impact in recent years, which have resulted in massive loss of life and long-term negative social, economic and environmental consequences for societies throughout the world, and recognizes that disaster risk reduction requires a broader and more people-centred preventive approach and an all-of-society engagement and partnership, empowerment and inclusive, accessible and non-discriminatory participation, paying special attention to people disproportionately affected by disasters, especially the poorest, and also taking into account the vulnerability of people living in mountain environments, especially those in developing countries; 12. Encourages States to strengthen disaster risk governance, to invest in disaster risk reduction for resilience and to develop and improve disaster risk 4/6