Partners
The Alpine Convention has several partners at different levels, from local to international. An overview of cooperation activities beyond the Alps is available here, various implementation projects from our partners can be found here.
On this page you can find more information about our closest Alpine partners – the Infopoints, Youth Parliament, and Mountaineering Villages. Each of them contributes in their own way to turning the vision and goals of the Alpine Convention into reality.
The Youth Parliament to the Alpine Convention (YPAC) brings together young people from different regions of the Alpine countries. The YPAC aims to give insights into parliamentary structures as well as pressing Alpine topics like soil protection (2018), climate change (2019), children’s rights (2021) or quality of life (2023). The main results are resolutions containing recommendations from the different committees, which should be recognised and taken up by decision-makers in the Alpine region. Moreover, the YPAC is a platform for knowledge exchange and networking among young people with different cultural backgrounds.
During the XV Alpine Conference in 2019, the YPAC participated as a delegation. Prior to the Conference, they had the opportunity to meet with the highest representatives of the Alpine Conference.
The YPAC was founded by the International School Innsbruck (Austria) (Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck) and the Alpine Convention. The first session took place in 2006 in Innsbruck. Each year the Youth Parliament is hosted by one of the participating schools. Schools taking part in the YPAC are:
- Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck (Austria)
- Gymnasium Sonthofen (Germany)
- Karolinen Gymnasium Rosenheim (Germany)
- Lycée Frison Roche de Chamonix (France)
- Fachoberschule für Tourismus und Biotechnologie »Marie Curie« Meran (Italy)
- Liceo G. B. Brocchi - Bassano del Grappa (Italy)
- Gimnazija in srednja šola Rudolfa Maistra Kamnik (Slovenia)
- II. gimnazija Maribor (Slovenia)
- Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
- Kantonsschule Trogen (Switzerland)
In March 2018, the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention and the YPAC Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Mountaineering Villages are authentic small villages dedicated to the development of sustainable tourism offers for inhabitants, guests, and the environment. They are located in valleys which offer a range of Alpinist goals and possibilities. The network of Mountaineering Villages comprises villages in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
The Mountaineering Villages work with their communities, aiming to protect their unique natural landscapes as well as their authentic cultural heritage. One of their founding criteria is a commitment from the various actors to cooperate, from the municipalities, the tourism sector, Alpine associations, and protected area management to the inhabitants.
The initiative is a concrete implementation of the Alpine Convention. It was started by the Austrian Alpine Club and the Alpine Convention in 2008 and is now a vibrant network between these organisations, the German, Italian, South Tyrolian, Slovenian and Swiss Alpine Clubs as well as the many villages.
In September 2016, the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention and the International Steering Committee of the Mountaineering Villages signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Infopoints
In order to facilitate the implementation of the goals of the Alpine Convention and to be nearer to the territory, the Permanent Secretariat decided to conclude Memoranda of Understanding with several local organisations. Eight have already been signed.
The shared goal is to promote the knowledge and the implementation of the Alpine Convention in areas more remote from the regions where the Secretariat’s offices or the responsible ministries are located. The strong link between the Infopoints and the territory they act in facilitates the implementation of the Alpine Convention’s objectives by involving inhabitants, administrations, tourists, institutions and also a range of private and public organisations. Their role is therefore larger than a simple information transmitter; in the framework of the Memoranda of Understanding signed, the Infopoints act as the main connection between the Alpine Convention and the territory.
The staff of the Infopoints have been trained and are ready to spread this knowledge to the regions with the help of promotional materials provided by the Permanent Secretariat.
The map below shows the already established Infopoints across the Alpine range.