These could have to be prioritized in terms of actions:

Present Operational foci for action;

• Institutional synergies
• Capacity-building(training, education,extension)
• Collaboration, advocacy and awareness-raising
• Information and knowledge
• Financing

Suggested Operational foci for action;

• Institutional synergies
• Capacity building (training, education, observational study tours, extension)
• Information and knowledge
• Advocacy and awareness raising
• Financing and implementation
• Monitoring and Evaluation

It is appreciable that the operational foci for action has already been elaborated. Under the sub head Information** and knowledge(as given in Annex-I), establishment/generation of national, sub-regional and regional level data base seems one of the important priority area at this moment.

Such data base shall have information about;

• developmental agencies/organization working in the country/region/sub region
• areas of work and major focus
• the time period these agencies/organizations are working
• collaboration among agencies
• well developed and degrated ecological zones
• best practice examples

This will help in;

• prioritizing the area of major concern/action
• channelizing funds and requirment of funds
• check the duplication of efforts
• to have a good data base of developmental efforts in mountains
• easy to fund by donor agencies in future
• identification of organizations and their efforts
• get best practice examples
• information sharing among members
• possibility of collaboration in future

**This also includes the Mechanism and tools for action -Theme-III.

In Institutional synergies- the empowerment of stakeholder seems to covered under Capacity-building part. In this operational foci, important is to make efforts towards linkages and cooperation between members and non-members by identifying National focal points. Here MP-members should have to play lead role in the identification of focal points and close coordination with members and National governments in near future.

Thanks for your patience,

With best wishes,

K.N.Vajpai