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Values

The Articles of Association (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 on Ethics and Best Practices 

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 approved a central guiding document, the Mountain Ethics Declaration, on the ethics, principles and values of our sport at its annual General Assembly in October 2009.  

The 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 was however not adopted by the UIAA General Assembly.
 
The final document is based on the Mountain Code and the Tyrol Declaration, and also includes aspects of the UIAA Summit charter 2002. It deals with issues such as the use of supplementary oxygen and performance-enhancing drugs.

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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