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Articles of Association

The AoA define the purpose of the UIAA and the principles our activities are based on. They explain the rights and responsibilities of our member associations and describe the powers and duties of our organisational bodies: the General Assembly, Management Committee, Executive Board, Auditors, Court and Commissions.

At the General Assembly in Teheran 2008, new Articles of Association were approved.  These came into force on January 1, 2009. 

A new document of Ethics in Mountaineering 

Just as every country has its own culture, climbing cultures also vary between countries and regions. Still, we believe it is possible for our members to agree about the essential ethics of mountaineering and climbing. Therefore the UIAA is working on completing a central guiding document on the ethics, principles and values of our sport.  

This process began in 2001, when the UIAA Mountaineering Commission completed a document called the Mountain Code. In September 2002 experts, representatives from mountaineering federations and some of the world's leading mountaineers and rock climbers from around the world met at the “Future of Mountain Sports Conference” in Innsbruck. This conference was organised in cooperation between the local government, the Oesterreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian federation), the Deutscher Alpenverein (German federation) and the UIAA. The participants developed the Mountain Code further and the conference finally adopted the document as the Tyrol Declaration on Best Practice in Mountain Sports.
 
The Tyrol Declaration has been translated into many languages and promoted by member federations and the UIAA Mountaineering Commission. The declaration has however not yet been adopted by the UIAA General Assembly.
 
The goal of the UIAA Executive Board is to create a final document, based on the Mountain Code and the Tyrol Declaration, but also including aspects of the UIAA Summit charter 2002 . This new document would also deal with the issues of using supplementary oxygen and performance enhancing drugs, and be revised in light of recent mountaineering accidents and the discussions relating to doping in Sport. We hope to have a code or declaration on ethics approved by the UIAA Geneneral Assembly in Porto 2009.

Kathmandu declaration

The Kathmandu declaration states the UIAA’s views on the protections of mountains. It calls for immediate action, increased education and international cooperation on environmental issues.  It also deals with cultural matters, such as the rights of indigenous people and legal aspects, such as access for the general public to mountain areas. In the years which have passed since the declaration was adopted by the general Assembly in 1982, protection of the mountain environment has only become a more serious issue which needs the attention and action of mountaineers.  
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