In his address (*) for the 2025 UIAA General Assembly, 24-25 October, UIAA President Peter Muir provides an overview of the federation’s progress over the past 12 months with a close focus on the performance of the seven strategic priorities approved in 2024 for the next four years.
The Address
I hope that at this year’s General Assembly, delegates pick up on both my optimism and my reflections on the positive direction that the UIAA is heading. We are more concentrated and more focused, thanks significantly to our new strategic priorities.
One of my personal highlights from this year was attending the 50th anniversary of the UIAA Safety Commission, held in Chamonix in April. I was last in Chamonix in 1979 when backpacking. And one thing had not changed, the weather was atrocious and I never saw Mont Blanc. Does it really exist? Or is a tourist attraction fabricated by the French, Swiss and Italians? It remains a mythical mountain for me.
It was really nice to observe the massive turnout for the SafeCom event and listen to many complex and technical discussions. The dedication and skill that supply that particular Commission is outstanding. And it is typical of many areas of the UIAA.
My own climbing activities have been hit hard by the fires in Canada over the past year, another reminder of the impact of climate change. Most of the backcountry in Northwest Ontario, in Manitoba, and in the Canadian Shield, was closed until really the end of June. I guess this has given me more time for meetings…
I’d like to also reflect on the change of Chief Executive Officer. Andre von Rotz succeeded Nils Glatthard as CEO in January. I was worried when Nils left because he had performed a great job and was very skilled at dealing with people and many challenging situations. Andre has really hit the ground running and not only ensured continued stability but brought his own personality and different interpretation to the role.
Over the past year, I have really enjoyed both the executive committee and management board meetings. I always did, but over the past year, they have taken on a new kind of persona. Everybody is involved, everybody is interested, bringing lots of good ideas. And I attribute a lot to the fact that we’ve set strategic priorities rather than a strategic plan. People have found the path clearer.
Here are my reflections on the seven strategic priorities:
UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup, Cheongsong
Photo credit: Rhea Kang
International Sports Training Course, Bariloche
Photo credit: Laureana Fuentes – FASA/UIAA
Wider Global Representation
Thanks to our Working Group, efforts continue to strengthen the UIAA’s global reach beyond its traditional Northern Hemisphere base. Significant growth has been observed in Central and South America, with progress in Asia and in Africa too.
Regional meetings and recruitment of new members are ongoing and attention given to membership fee structures to support smaller federations. The UIAA has a stated ambition of representation from 100 member countries by 2032. We are well on track, we may even hit that figure this year, but wider global representation is not only about numbers. We need to support the financial and logistical barriers that remain challenges for some regions. Overall engagement and inclusivity are improving.
And these new members, they bring in different perspectives. It strengthens them and it strengthens us. It also leads to wider representation in our various structures including boards and commissions.
“This is a nifty project that is building a circular approach for managing gas canisters, a hazardous waste disposed of by the outdoor sports community. Whilst the initiative supports outdoor people to help them dispose of empty gas cartridges, at a higher level, the project also contributes to instilling a change in the consumer mindset in the Brazilian outdoor community towards more sustainable choices and behaviour.”
– UIAA Assessment Team
“This is the tenth year anniversary of the UIAA’s Mountain Protection Award. And what a great year it has been. The projects nominated and showcased in 2023 continue to show how many in the climbing community are committed to making positive change in mountains around the world. Once again all of the projects in the running for either the MPA Award or the Best New Initiative offered the project adjudicators “mountains” of amazing ideas and choice. Speaking as an adjudicator myself I can testify to the care, attention, expertise, and reflection we all bring to bear when undertaking our assessments. Speaking as the Chair of the MPA Working Group let me offer a huge thank you to all my assessment team colleagues, UIAA office support, and our sponsor Bally Peak Outlook Foundation. You, along with the MPA nominees, are a crucial part of showing that together we can make a difference when it comes to protecting the world’s mountains. Now, more than ever, mountains matter.”
– Mary Sanseverino, UIAA Mountain Protection Commission and UIAA MPA Assessment Team
Financial Development
After being in some tight spots, the situation is now very encouraging. We’ve established partnerships of various levels with Lenovo, Fixe, Namah Ropes, Altezza Travel and Mammut for the apparel you see being worn at the GA, as well as our continued relationship with the Petzl Foundation. These are steps to further developing sponsorships.
Although some deficits remain, projections indicate a balanced budget in 2026.
Efforts led by Yolanda de Both, Andre von Rotz, and the Finance and Audit team have improved fiscal management and sponsor relations. We need to continue looking at some service offerings to achieving greater financial self-sustainability.
The overall financial outlook is positive, showing steady improvement since 2024.
Safety Centre of Excellence
This is another area where the trend is positive. The Commissions – Safety, Medical and Legal Affairs, which form a natural part of the Safety Centre of Excellence are producing some great work. Likewise the Accident Reporting working group.
We’ve had two new safety standards published this year and revisions to several others; we have a testing lab in North America for the first time; we’ve seen great collaboration between the Medical and Safety Commissions for the Mountain Sports Symposium here in Peja and the Medical Commission engaged in a number of international events. I’d also like to credit the Mountaineering Commission for their support on a number of topics ensuring the UIAA has been more efficient and responsive to certain questions and tasks.
Our communication team tells me that, through podcasts, social media and other campaigns, that safety is a massive draw in terms of people coming to the UIAA for information. It is a natural entry point for climbers to enter the world of the UIAA. And a word on the Mountain Voices podcast, which has seen us bringing a range of leading climbers and mountaineers under the UIAA umbrella. I have really enjoyed sending them my messages of thanks through Canada Post.
UIAA Safety Commission 50 years, Chamonix
Photo credit: Peter Bourne
UIAA General Assembly 2024
Photo credit: Peter Bourne
Climate Change and Sustainability
This is a key priority and one which was in good shape even before it was defined as one of the seven priorities. The Mountain Protection Commission and its various working groups are doing a fine job. Partnerships with Lenovo and the King Albert Memorial Foundation for the Mountain Protection Award highlight tangible progress.
The Mountain Protection Award, and its new biennial model, remains an iconic project for us. And I’m delighted that we’ll recognise the winner this weekend. We committed significant resources to marking the International Year of Glacier Preservation and the inaugural World Glacier Day.
Here at the GA, we’ll host another Climate Change Summit, where the UIAA will continue to work with member federations, large and small, in their own climate action plans and journeys. There is a maturity to what we are doing including with the Carbon Footprint Reporting, where we run the full report biennially allowing more time to conduct analysis.
In my mind, in-person occasions like this remain crucial. Online meetings are not as effective. However, online meetings allow us to remain in closer contact, to meet more regularly, to make quicker progress and when we meet in-person to be more efficient and streamlined.
On a personal note, one thing I do is buy offsets against my travel. It is something I’d really encourage everyone to do.
Ice Climbing
Like finance, ice climbing was a contentious subject one year ago. It has been a remarkable turn-around. The newly-formed World Ice Climbing structure has exceeded expectations under its new governance model. It was a big mountain to climb. Led by JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson, World Ice Climbing Board Chair, and Rob Adie in the office, they have achieved a lot. It’s a testament to finding the right people, delegating responsibility and letting them run with it and do it.
One of the areas I have been impressed with is the improved collaboration with event organizers and the clarity of responsibilities which have strengthened overall operations. The World Ice Climbing structure is made up entirely of experts and a broad range of stakeholders. The sport benefits from increased stability, with athlete representatives, organizers, and staff aligned under shared goals.
In terms of the Olympic Winter Games, we are not in a position to make promises or define targets but the World Ice Climbing Board remains in close discussions with the organizers of the 2030 Games in the French Alps.
More important is continuing to deliver a great UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour and thanks to the professional management, and clear delegation within World Ice Climbing, I am confident we will continue to organize great events with a significant number of member associations and athletes participating.
Training & Development
A decision was made to halt training activities in July of this year. This was to allow a review of its operational and administrative structure to ensure that future training programme development would be built on stronger foundations. The first step in this approach has been the creation of a Working Group with the remit to implement such a review.
The aim is for training activities to relaunch in 2026, but these need to be based on a more structured approach than in the past and working closely to respond to the needs of our member associations. Training has been a success in the past and will be again in the future. Our plan is to integrate it more closely into the Safety Centre of Excellence. However, we need to ensure the model is sustainable.
Likewise, on the subject of development, we have been conducting a review of our activities in youth.
We will be able to report more on training and youth in 2026. The framework for both will likely include clear criteria for third-party partnerships and standardised certification procedures.
Rock Climbing & Hiking
Until now we have largely spoken about impressive or at least incremental progress. We need to focus more on delivering on rock climbing and hiking pledges in 2026.
Our new UIAA Declaration, approved at last year’s GA, includes a clear reference to hiking. Hiking initiatives within the Mountaineering Commission are currently in development and projects should soon come to fruition, thanks also to the support of delegates from the Italian Alpine Club, CAI.
In terms of rock climbing, there is more work to be done to get it to where we want it to be. Both hiking and rock climbing have a critical mass which leads me back to my first point in terms of wider global representation.
Conclusions
One thing which is clear is how many of the seven strategic priorities rely on each other and are interlinked. In general terms, progress across these seven areas reflects a clear trajectory towards a stronger global presence, financial sustainability, and significant operational improvements.
There are areas to develop but the key thing is we know what they are. The focus is on continued collaboration and using our resources as efficiently as possible.
Thank you to the EC and MB for our enjoyable and fruitful collaboration, leadership and ensuring that the strategic priorities have remained on track. Thank you to all of the Commissions and volunteers who support the UIAA with countless hours of expertise and dedication. Thank you to the Office for your professionalism and commitment. Thank you to all member associations for supporting us and allow us to support your work. Have a great General Assembly.
(*) Please note that this speech has been provided in advance of the GA as a supporting document to allow delegates to best prepare for the information and voting sessions. There may be some minor differences from this document in the speech given by Peter Muir on Friday 24 October.
