A five-day long Mountain Fair will be held from Thursday to mark the International Mountain Day 2017 at Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka. This year's theme is- Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration.
The fair is organized by the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in association with some non-government organizations to celebrate the lives and cultures, attires, history and heritage of the people who live in the country's highlands. Additional secretary to CHT Affairs Ministry Kamal Uddin Talukdar highlighted the programs at the ministry yesterday. He said: "A total of 95 stalls will be set up.
There will also be cultural performances by the different indigenous groups. Minister of Cultural Affairs Asaduzzaman Noor will inaugurate the fair on Thursday around 3pm. The fair will remain open for all from 10am to 10pm till December 11."
"Through this five day-long fair, everyone will be exposed to the highlanders' cultures, food, handicraft and so on," he said adding: "There is a situation in the hilly areas this year. Arrangements have been taken so that the Rohingyas can't intrude in the areas."
A day-long discussion session will also be held at the Shilpakala Academy on 11 December. International Mountain Day has been observed on December 11 every year, globally since 2003. This year's theme is "Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration", reflects the Rohingya influx to the border areas of the country.
According to United Nations, mountains cover around 22% of the earth’s land surface and play a critical role in moving the world towards sustainable economic growth. Mountains not only provide sustenance and well being to 13% of world’s population, they also indirectly benefit billions more living downstream.
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