Mountain festival from December 1

Islamabad : All is set to kick off a two-week-long 12th edition of the Pakistan Mountain Festival with a live painting competition on December 1.

Other events include Trail-5 cleanup and an interactive session on mountain wildlife and biodiversity, the Pakistan Mountain Youth Forum, and an exhibition of paintings.

The event including a conference on “Cultural Heritage in the Changing Climate, Food Security and Mountain Women” and awards will be organized on December 9-12 at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) under the patronage of the National Heritage and Culture Division.

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) are also supporting the grand event and conference.

Informing the media here on Thursday at PNCA, Federal Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division and chairperson of the grand event Fareena Mazhar said that usually, we see the impact of climate change on life, and livelihood and as a stress on the ecosystems and natural resources.

This year, the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture with the support of experts and community representatives will be reviewing the impact of climate change on our heritage and culture in the changing times. Cultural heritage in the changing climate has been undermined in our country. Not much is done in this regard. Even we didn’t think of taking up the mountain heritage conservation and promotion vigorously.

Ms. Mazhar said, “We are living in the era of climate change, evidently supported by science. Even those nations and sectors of industry who were in a state of denial have now accepted that climate change is happening and very fast. Pakistan is one of the most climate vulnerable countries, and in Pakistan, mountains and its women are the most neglected and vulnerable”.

The grand event will significantly highlight the challenges confronting mountain heritage and culture, and women’s socioeconomic empowerment. The outcome will serve as a framework for mainstreaming of mountain heritage and culture with a focus on women’s role in socio-economic development, she said.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director and founder of Pakistan Mountain Festival Munir Ahmed said: The festival was founded in 2005 to raise awareness on the climate challenges being faced by the mountains of Pakistan and its communities. Promotion and mainstreaming of mountain products, eco-tourism and culture is the backbone of the mountain economy. The festival is successfully providing the mountain communities market linkages downstream by promoting their goods and services.

Article source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1011805-mountain-festival-from-december-1