Launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002, the Mountain Partnership is a global alliance of governmental and non-governmental partners to support positive change in mountain areas. In March 2007, Urs Zollinger facilitated a two-day workshop in Rome, during which participants defined future arrangements for the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, based in FAO. The workshop followed an external evaluation of the Secretariat and brought together a number of different stakeholders, i.e. representatives from the Governments of Italy and Switzerland, UN agencies, research institutions and NGOs. It concluded successfully with a key decision for a more decentralised Secretariat and a clear road map for the next phase. Moving towards implementation, Urs Zollinger subsequently facilitated a second workshop in July for operationalizing the road map. Contact: Urs Zollinger
