A/RES/58/216 development and poverty eradication in mountain regions, as well as acting as a catalyst for long-term effective action to implement chapter 13 of Agenda 211 and paragraph 42 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation;2 3. Notes with appreciation that a growing network of Governments, organizations, major groups and individuals around the world know that mountains are globally important as the source of most of the Earth’s freshwater, as repositories of rich biological diversity, as popular destinations for recreation and tourism and as areas of important cultural diversity, knowledge and heritage; Also notes with appreciation the effective role played by Governments, 4. as well as major groups, academic institutions and international organizations and agencies, in the activities related to the Year, including the establishment of seventyeight national committees or similar mechanisms; Appreciates the work undertaken by the Food and Agriculture 5. Organization of the United Nations as the lead agency for the Year, as well as the valuable contributions made by the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations University, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children’s Fund; Underlines the fact that there remain key challenges to implementing 6. sustainable development and eradicating poverty in mountain regions as well as challenges in the areas of national involvement, international cooperation, support for partnerships and mobilization of financial resources, and against this background: (a) Encourages the United Nations system to enhance efforts to strengthen inter-agency collaboration to achieve more effective implementation of chapter 13 of Agenda 21 and paragraph 42 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation; (b) Also encourages the continued establishment and development of mountain-related national committees, focal points and other multi-stakeholder mechanisms at the national level for sustainable development in mountain regions; (c) Supports national efforts, within the framework of national development plans, to develop goals and strategic plans for the sustainable development of mountains, as well as enabling policies and laws, programmes and projects; (d) Encourages transboundary approaches, where the States concerned agree, to the sustainable development of mountain ranges and information-sharing in this regard; (e) Also encourages Member States to collect and produce information and to establish databases devoted to mountains so as to capitalize on knowledge to support interdisciplinary research, programmes and projects and to improve decision-making and planning; (f) Supports the development and implementation of global, regional and national communication programmes to build on the awareness and momentum for change established by the Year; (g) Stresses the importance of capacity-building and educational programmes to enhance awareness of good practices in sustainable development in mountain regions and the nature of relationships between highland and lowland areas; (h) Calls for the improvement of mountain women’s access to resources and the strengthening of their role in their communities and cultures, and in this context 2