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Syed Hassan Raza, Assistant professor in University of Agriculture, Faisalabad attended the 1st World Mountain Forum held in Chambery, France last month. Representing Pakistan he exchanged views with numerous actors of mountainous areas development around the world.

..........The 1st World Mountain Forum gathered researchers and policy makers from all over the world from Nepalese to Bolivians.

..........After the opening session which took place in Unesco headquarters Paris under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, the forum was held in the city of Chambery situated in the heart of the French Alps, creating a pioneer event.

..........On this occasion, delegates of major international institutions such as Unesco, World Bank or European Community, representatives of on the filed NGOs and international standard researchers got the opportunity to meet and discuss the situation and development of mountainous areas on various aspects agriculture, pastoralism, protection of environment and tourism.

..........A member of the Pakistan Embassy in France played a significant role in organising the forum. Moreover Prince Karim Aga Khan gave a well noticed speech with reference to the type of education and development that can be implemented in mountainous areas through NGOs work quoting the examples of Pakistan and Tajikistan.

..........The Pakistani researcher and lecture in University of Agriculture, Faisalabad has a strong field experience of the problems faced by people living in mountainous areas as well as the environment issues of the regions. ..........One key issue was the integration of high altitude agriculture in to the market economy. On this respect it seems important that new technologies aiming at improving the quality of agriculture products could be introduced while coping with the socio-cultural and environmental background.

..........For that purpose, there are policies such as incentives directly given to the farmers conditioned by the diversification of their production and on their efforts to protect the environment.

..........It is expected that numerous international contacts established by Syed Hassan Raza in France give rise to new ideas in the development policy of mountainous areas in Pakistan.-PPI

..........Copyright 2000 PPI (Published under arrangement with Pakistan Press International)