The Sustainable Mountain Development Agenda, the legacy of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992 ("Earth Summit"), must now be discussed more horizontally and vertically, and much more frequently than a few stand-alone seminars and workshops allow for. Accordingly, IMI has chosen to undertake open and continuous dialogue on mountain concerns through Annual Thematic Summits and by encouraging the establishment of thematic networks on various mountain themes and concerns. In this sprit, the First Sustainable Mountain Development Summit of IMI organized in Naini Tal on the 21st and the 22nd of May, 2011 and Second Sustainable Mountain Development Summit of IMI organized in Gangtok, Sikkim on the 25th and 26th of May, 2012.

The Indian Mountain Initiative, the InMI, proposes to repeat again, with some significant modifications, what the first Seminar held by CHEA in October 1983 obviously attempted to do a quarter century again, namely a pioneering a move to catalyze and galvanize all scientists, administrators, social workers and development practitioners to come together once more and collectively reflect again not only just on de-generation of environment but also on its intrinsic relationship with development. The Sustainable Mountain Development Agenda, the legacy of the Earth Summit of 1992, has now to be discussed much more horizontally and vertically, and much more frequently than a few stand-alone Seminars and Workshops. This collective reflection has to be undertaken in a much more Open and Continuous manner, as has also been recommended by the latest Task Force set up by the Government of India, on the mountain issues and concerns.

The Indian Mountain Initiative, as resolved by the CHEA Council and endorsed by its General Body, proposes to undertake this Open and Continuous Dialogue on mountain concerns, ( i ) through Annual Thematic Summits at Naini Tal, on a few selected themes, year after year , and ( ii ) by encouraging establishments of various Thematic Networks spread -over the Indian mountain states on various 'mountain - themes and concerns'.