This publication provides background information and a framework for discussing mountain issues in the context of the current climate change dialogue. It synthesizes the state of current knowledge and provides an overview of the evolution and status of the global Mountain agenda from the time it was agreed upon during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to the UNFCCC processes. It also critically assesses the past and current global commitments on sustainable mountain development and helps provide a new direction and framework to push the Mountain Agenda forward in the context of global climate and other changes.