ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday “proudly” announced its membership in the Mountain Partnership, an official United Nations voluntary alliance founded in 2002  to improve the lives of mountain communities and protect their environments around the world.

“By joining this partnership, the Kurdistan Region will take part in global efforts to improve the lives of mountain communities through increasing private and public investments and embark on strategies to combat climate change,” read a statement from the Climate Change Unit at the Prime Minister’s office. “This commitment will guarantee social prosperity and economic well-being" to the mountain communities. 

The Kurdistan Region is known for boasting plenty of spectacular mountains with lots of valleys where waterfalls and rivers reside. They have become a major source of tourism. Some of the popular names are Halgurd, Korek, Cheeka Dar, Matin, and Bradost.

‘No friends but the mountain’ is a popular Kurdish proverb expressed to signify their feelings of betrayal and loneliness throughout history and at times of war against their enemies. 

"Kurdistan Region’s mountains are integral to our identity, heritage, and culture. They have been our refuge, and they are our source of water. Climate change threatens mountain communities and endangers Kurdistan’s biodiversity. Working with other organizations in the Mountain Partnership, we will work to ensure that mountain communities can adapt to climate change and live sustainably," Bayan Sami Abdulrahman, a top advisor to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani for Foreign Affairs and Climate Change, said."

Abdulrahman calls on universities in the Kurdistan Region to “conduct advanced research concerning the implications of the climate on the ecosystem of the mountains.

The KRG’s announcement coincided with the International Mountain Day.

“This year, the International Mountain Day focuses on the importance of invention, adaptation, and youth participation in building a sustainable future for the mountain communities,” the prime minister’s climate change advisor said. "Recognizing the unique and resilient populations of the mountains, the United Nations is emphasizing a solution that reduces poverty while combating climate change and restoring biodiversity."

The UN has listed Iraq as one of the most susceptible countries to the effects of climate change. Volker Turk, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, said last year that Iraq was facing “a human rights emergency” because of the effects of climate change, describing what he witnessed during a visit to Basra as “a small piece of the environmental horror.”

The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), dedicated to addressing global environmental issues, took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November.

The Kurdistan Region was represented by a delegation including the President of the Region Nechirvan Barzani, and officials from the Ministries of Interior, Agriculture, Municipalities, and Electricity, as well as the Environment Board, Investment Board, Department of Coordination and Follow-Up, Department of Foreign Relations, representatives of universities, and business leaders.

The Kurdistan Region aimed "to showcase its efforts within global initiatives to combat climate change and to facilitate the exchange of experiences and knowledge with other nations to strengthen environmental protection measures addressing climate change,” according to a statement by the KRG’s Department of Media and Information.

After meeting with a large number of global leaders on the sidelines of the COP29, Barzani described the annual gathering as an "important opportunity for us to take meaningful steps toward a sustainable future."

“Together, we can tackle climate change and build a healthier planet for generations to come,” Barzani wrote in a post on X.

The KRG’s Climate Change Unit at the Prime Minister’s office said at the COP29, the Kurdistan Region delegation attended “many panels on mountains and their importance for the lives of villagers, forests and the impacts of climate change on them.”

In addition to the severe impacts of climate change, the mountain communities of the Kurdistan Region have borne the brunt of decades-long armed conflicts between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and Turkey, on the one hand, Iran and Kurdish opposition groups of the country on the other hand. Iran and Turkey, from time to time, bombard the mountains of the Kurdistan Region, destroying orchards, groves, and forests, as well as sending civilians fleeing for their lives, abandoning their farmlands and their mountain lives.