(AGENPARL) – Wed 10 December 2025 International Mountain Day 2025: Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond
11 December 2025 | 10:00 (CET) | FAO headquarters (Sheikh Zayed Centre), Rome
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will mark International Mountain Day (IMD) 2025 with a high-level global celebration on 11 December at FAO headquarters in Rome. This year’s theme — “Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond” — highlights the critical role of glaciers and mountains as the planet’s “water towers,” sustaining nearly 2 billion people with freshwater for drinking, agriculture, hydropower, and biodiversity.
Glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, with five of the past six years registering the fastest retreat on record. Their decline increases the risks of water scarcity, natural hazards, food insecurity and the loss of irreplaceable cultural values for mountain communities and downstream populations.
IMD 2025 serves as a global call to action to safeguard glaciers and strengthen the resilience of communities whose lives depend on them.
The celebration will begin at 10:00 (CET) in the Sheikh Zayed Centre at FAO headquarters, with a message from FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. It will include the participation of government representatives from Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Peru and Switzerland.
Mountain Future Award ceremony
The event will also feature the announcement of the Mountain Future Award 2025 winners, recognizing innovative, community-driven solutions that strengthen resilience to glacier-related impacts and support sustainable mountain economies.
Youth voices and exhibition
The celebration will continue with “Mountain Youth voices: Stories from the Glaciers”, featuring young representatives from Bhutan, Nepal and the Russian Federation sharing firsthand experiences of coping with glacier loss and the solutions emerging in their communities.
The celebration continues in FAO’s Atrium, which will host, with the participation of Barbara Nappini, President of Slow Food Italia and Fabiano Ventura, President of Macromicro Association:
“On the Trail of the Glaciers” — a photo exhibition (8–19 December) documenting glacier retreat worldwide.
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