Sustainable mountain development A/RES/68/217 8. Underlines the fact that action at the national level is a key factor in achieving progress in sustainable mountain development, welcomes its steady increase in recent years with a multitude of events, activities and initiatives, and invites the international community to support the efforts of developing countries to develop and implement strategies and programmes, including, where required, enabling policies and laws for the sustainable development of mountains, within the framework of national sustainable development plans; 9. Encourages the increased involvement of local authorities, as well as other relevant stakeholders, in particular the rural population, indigenous peoples, civil society and the private sector, in the development and implementation of programmes, land-use planning and land tenure arrangements, and in activities related to sustainable development in mountains; 10. Underlines the need for improved access to resources, including land, 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 gender-disaggregated data, in mountain development activities, programmes and projects; 11. Encourages the further undertaking of multi-stakeholder and transboundary initiatives at the national and regional levels, where appropriate, such as those supported by all relevant international and regional organizations, to enhance sustainable development in mountain regions; 12. Stresses that indigenous peoples’ traditions and knowledge, including in the field of medicine, are to be fully considered, respected and promoted in development policy, strategies and programmes in mountain regions, and underlines the need to promote the full participation and involvement of mountain communities in decisions that affect them and to integrate indigenous knowledge, heritage and values in all development initiatives; 13. Takes note of decision X/30 of 29 October 2010, entitled “Mountain biological diversity”, adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its tenth meeting, 5 in which the parties noted with appreciation the progress made by the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment and invited parties, other Governments and stakeholders to take specific actions for the conservation, sustainable use and benefit-sharing of mountain biological diversity; 14. Welcomes the growing contribution of sustainable tourism initiatives in mountain regions as a way to enhance environmental protection and socioeconomic benefits to local communities, and the fact that consumer demand is increasingly moving towards responsible and sustainable tourism; 15. Notes that public awareness needs to be raised with respect to the positive and unaccounted 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, and underlines the importance of enhancing the sustainability of ecosystems that provide essential resources and services for human well-being and economic activity and of developing innovative means of financing for their protection; _______________ 5 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/10/27, annex. 3/4