A good environment practice from Nepal: Himalaya Campaigns by UNITRAV-GEFONT

UNITRAV, a union of around 2.000 Sherpa or guides/porters, organised a cleaning campaign on the Mt. Everest, where workers of the union collected waste left behind from the tourists on the mountain (air tanks, garbage etc.). This has been a big issue, as generations of mountain climbers simply left all their waste behind, which freezes and doesn't decompose. This was also a way to sensitize other guides and tourists that the mountain needs to be kept clean and protected.

Dorje Khatri

Another campaign conducted by GEFONT was  ‘Save the climate, save the Himalayas’. In 2011, Dorje Khatri, leader of Nepal’s trade union of Sherpas, Vice-President of GEFONT, and a committed defender of the environment, planted the ITUC flag atop the peak of Everest as part of global mobilisation by unions pushing for action on climate change leading up to the Durban Climate Summit, which he attended. Khatri did more than going up the mountain seven times. Aspects like climate change indeed affect the melting of the ice and glaciers, which in turn endangers the lives of workers and the population in general. He also spent untold hours organizing fellow Sherpas into their union to achieve decent wages and employment rights. Sadly, in April 2014, Dorje Khatri was among 12 people killed in one of the worst disasters on Mount Everest ever recorded.  Since then, as decided by the 3rd ITUC World Congress, the ITUC General Council annually recognises outstanding contributions to the fight for sustainability and justice, through the Dorje Khatri Award.