May proved to be a productive month in terms of international climbing and mountaineering meetings both organised and attended by the UIAA.
Below are reports from the UIAA spring meeting (as well as from an online meeting for UIAA member associations) and from two events attended by UIAA delegates: the annual General Assembly of European Mountaineering Association (EUMA) and the annual Technical Meeting of International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA-UIAGM-IVBV).
UIAA Management Board meetings. Held in Bern, Switzerland and online
The annual UIAA ‘spring meetings’ took place from 9-10 May with delegates attending both at the UIAA HQ in Bern, Switzerland and joining online. The first day was dedicated to reports from the UIAA’s nine Commissions and followed the next day by the main Management Board session.
Commission Reports and Projects
Each Commission shared updates on their current projects:
- Anti-Doping (Dr Marija Andjelkovic): Having recently delivered doping controls as part of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, the focus is firmly on maintaining compliance with WADA regulations and expanding education programmes.
- Legal Affairs (Klara Dvorakova): The number of entries in the database of mountaineering and climbing accidents case laws continues to augment. The LAC is also supporting other UIAA commissions with subjects related to governance and compliance.
- Medical (Urs Hefti): In January, the Medical Commission spearheaded the drafting of a UIAA statement on xenon gas use in high-altitude mountaineering. A MedCom Working Group continues to deliver papers dedicated to some of the world’s major summits. The latest publication focused on Everest. MedCom is currently involved in discussions on how best it can actively participate in a very large international conference on high altitude medicine which will take place in the UK in spring 2026. A revision to the paper dedicated to children is due later in 2025.
- Mountaineering (Greg Moseley): Following the publication of the seminal UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering, MountCom has focused on creating working groups (WGs) dedicated to two key strategic priorities – hiking and rock climbing – with a further working group dedicated to access ready to launch. The Commission is also looking at how best to revive both an Expeditions WG and the Mountain Worker Initiative. Furthermore, the Accident Data Reporting WG continues to make progress on developing best practice case studies following the soft launch of its database of reporting systems late last year.
- Mountain Protection (Paul Kwakkenbos): The UIAA Mountain Protection Award has returned in 2025 in its new biennial format. The application process for the Award has now closed, over 20 applications have been received and are currently being assessed. The Commission has also worked hard in developing its Climate Action Plan for UIAA members (see dedicated website page and video) as well as initiatives around the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
- Safety (Lionel Kiener): SafeCom recently celebrated its 50th anniversary at a major event in Chamonix which included the Commission’s annual plenary and internal meetings, public conferences and dedicated workshops. Highlights included the approval for the publication of two new standards (Static Ropes and Via Ferrata construction) and amendments to several other Standards. Further details to follow shortly.
- Training (Steve Long): Following a successful workshop held in Malta following last year’s General Assembly, planning continues for a similar session this year to coincide with the UIAA GA in Kosovo. The revised UIAA Alpine Handbook has been printed in English with the digital version to be available for purchase from June 2025. The Training Commission, represented by Steve Long, was invited as a keynote speaker at a recent international conference on Adventure Tourism held in the United Arab Emirates and organised by UIAA associate member The Fujairah Adventures Center.
- Youth (Jane Carney, VP): The Youth Commission continues to work on defining and developing a structure for global youth events under the UIAA umbrella. Focus is on improving registration systems for events, developing course programmes and enhancing the voice of youth in the Commission structure.
Commission Member (CM) regulation revisions were reviewed, including issues of nominee endorsement, hybrid meeting policies, and voting rights. These will be further vetted by the Legal Affairs Commission.
UIAA Management Board Executive Meeting
The UIAA Management Board (MB) convened for its Executive Session the following day. The main topics included a review strategic developments and governance matters.
World Ice Climbing Board Strategy
The WIC Board, led by JoAnne Carilli-Stevenson, presented an extensive update on the progress of the Board since its formation at the UIAA GA in October, including its 2025-2026 budget and strategic roadmap through 2030. The dual-path strategy considers both Olympic Winter Games inclusion in 2030 or continued independent development. Priorities, to be led by different for Committees, include rulebook revision, athlete safeguarding, funding models, federation engagement, and improved media strategy.
The provisional calendar for the 2025-2026 UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour will be published by late June. The UIAA WIC Board continues to welcome interest from potential sponsors and partners.
EC Working Groups, Governance and Membership
Progress reports were given on various EC Working Groups. The Finance and Audit WG has put together a proposal to update membership fee models. This will be an agenda item at the GA in Kosovo.
Financial forecasts were presented showing a manageable deficit for Q1 2025. Budget planning for 2026 is underway and closely linked to strategic priorities. The 2024 financial results were approved and recommended to the GA.
Membership updates included recommendations to approve full and associate memberships for new applicants from Congo and North Macedonia. The UIAA’s global reach is expanding, with mentorship pilots planned to support federations in areas not yet represented by the UIAA.
Annual Report and Communication
The new online platform for the UIAA Annual Report was presented. The Annual Report for 2024 will be the first fully digital report, allowing for greater integration with the UIAA website as well as video and imagery. In terms of content, the 2024 Annual Report focuses more closely on annual achievements, commission highlights and aligned with strategic priorities. Publication is scheduled for late June.
The UIAA has recently concluded an outreach campaign to all member associations which included the sharing of a digital toolkit, links to key assets including details of member benefits.
Climate and Environmental Action
A report was provided by the Climate Change Task Force (CCTF), whose remit is currently focused on engaging federations and commissions with clear objectives. Activities, in addition to what is covered in the MPC report detailed above, include webinars, a summit, and a new climate ambassador programme.
UIAA Online Meeting for Member Associations
Two weeks after the UIAA spring meetings, an online update was held for UIAA member associations. The topics covered above, including Commission reports, progress made by the UIAA since last year’s General Assembly and decisions taken at the MB meeting, were presented to attending members.
General Assembly of European Mountaineering Association (EUMA)
The 2025 General Assembly of EUMA was held from 16-18 May in Bohinj, Slovenia and was hosted by the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS). The event gathered 50 participants, including 24 of EUMA’s 30 full members, making it a strong and representative meeting of the European mountaineering community.
The UIAA was represented by Executive Committee member Simon Alden. His message was one of support and encouraging further collaboration between the UIAA and EUMA on specific projects. A report from EUMA can be found here.
IFMGA Annual Technical Meeting
In late May, the UIAA, through CEO Andre von Rotz and Mountain Safety Project Manager Philippe Quintart attended the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA-UIAGM-IVBV) Technical Meeting in Arco, Italy. This significant gathering brought together technical directors and experts from the 28 IFMGA member associations worldwide as well as guests for five days of intensive professional development, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration.
The Spring Technical Meeting serves as a cornerstone of international mountain guiding standards, providing a crucial platform where technical directors can exchange information and engage in conversations about the evolution of the mountain guides profession. This annual gathering aims to build increasingly higher standards for mountain guide training worldwide.
“It was important for the UIAA to be present in Arco. Cooperation between likeminded bodies will contribute positively to safety in mountain sports in the coming months and years,” explained von Rotz.
The meeting came just weeks after the UIAA Safety Commission’s highly successful series of meetings in Chamonix, France. A number of notable steps to strengthen synergy between the UIAA and IFMGA were taken at the meeting.
This included the appointment of Alessandro Bellini as IFMGA delegate to the UIAA Safety Commission; IFMGA were invited to contribute to the UIAA’s Mountain Sport Symposium to be held as part of the UIAA General Assembly in Kosovo in October; technical directors from IFMGA were encouraged to join UIAA SafeCom working groups while the UIAA SafeCom reiterated its availability to support testing and research on guiding related safety topics.
Next meetings
A full list of UIAA meetings and UIAA-related events can be found on the UIAA online calendar.
The 2025 UIAA General Assembly will be held in Peja, Kosovo from 23-26 October and concludes with a Mountain Sports Symposium. Further details will be available in due course.
