AIMF Re-Elected to Mountain Partnership Steering Committee
Andorra la Vella, where mountain communities gathered for the Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership.
The Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership was held March 26–28, 2026, in Andorra la Vella, Andorra.
AIMF is honored to continue representing North and Central America and the Caribbean in global mountain sustainability work
The Aspen International Mountain Foundation has been re-elected to the Steering Committee of the Mountain Partnership, a United Nations voluntary alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world.
The election took place during the Seventh Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership, held March 26–28, 2026, in Andorra la Vella, Andorra. AIMF was represented at the meeting by Board Vice President Eric Smith and will serve on the 2026–2030 Steering Committee as the Major Group Organization representative for North and Central America and the Caribbean.
AIMF has been a member of the Mountain Partnership since 2010. In 2022, AIMF, together with the State of Colorado, City of Aspen and the Mountain Partnership, hosted the Sixth Global Meeting at Aspen Meadows Resort. The gathering brought delegates from more than 40 countries to Aspen to advance global dialogue and action on sustainable mountain development.
2026-2030 Steering Committee Members
Colorado Mountain Leaders at the Global Meeting
AIMF was joined at this year’s meeting by several other Colorado-based mountain sustainability leaders, including John Lifton-Zoline and Tucker Szymkowicz of the Telluride Institute; John Hausdoerffer of Western Colorado University; and Suzanne Ennis of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.
In addition to AIMF’s re-election, the Telluride Institute was named Alternate Focal Point for AIMF’s seat. Based in Telluride, the Institute advances environmental and cultural sustainability through education, research, the arts, community programs, watershed education, Indigenous programs and mountain resilience work.
Pictured L-R: John Lifton-Zoline and Tucker Szymkowicz, Telluride Institute; John Hausdoerffer, Western Colorado University; Suzanne Ennis, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Eric Smith, AIMF.
Advancing the Mountain Agenda
The Steering Committee provides programmatic guidance to the Mountain Partnership, oversees its four-year strategy and two-year workplan, and monitors the work of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and implementation of the Mountain Agenda. The committee meets annually for elections and holds virtual meetings throughout the year.
The Mountain Partnership is supported by a Secretariat hosted at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome.
“We are honored to continue serving on the Mountain Partnership Steering Committee and to represent mountain communities across North and Central America and the Caribbean,” said Karinjo DeVore, President of AIMF. “From climate change and water security to biodiversity, livelihoods and cultural resilience, mountain regions are central to the health of our planet.”
Founded in Aspen, AIMF advances sustainable mountain development through advocacy, education and collaboration. The organization works to connect mountain communities, protect fragile ecosystems and promote the vital role mountains play for upland and downstream communities.
“Mountains are the water towers of the earth,” DeVore said. “As mountain communities face increasing pressure from climate change and development, international cooperation is more important than ever.”
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