International Mountain Day from Dec 11

The fair is organised by the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs in association with some non-government organisations to celebrate the lives and cultures, attires, history and heritage of the people who live in the country's highlands. Additional secretary to CHT Affairs Ministry Kamal Uddin Talukdar highlighted the programme at the CHT Complex on Saturday morning. He said: “Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon will inaugurate the fair on Sunday around 4pm. The fair will remain open for all from 10am to 10pm till December 15.” There will also be cultural performances by the different indigenous groups at the main stage on the CHT Complex premises, he added. He further said: “Through this five day-long fair, everyone will be exposed to the highlanders' cultures, food, handicrafts and so on.” A day-long discussion session will also be held at the International Mother Language Institute on Sunday from 10am. International Mountain Day has been observed on December 11 every year, globally since 2003. This year's theme is “Mountain Cultures: Celebrating diversity and strengthening identity”. According to the United Nations, mountains cover around 22% of the earth’s land surface and there are 915 million mountain peoples around the world who represent 13% of the global population. According to the CHT Ministry's website, the country's three hill districts – Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari – cover 13,295 square kilometres and are inhabited by 15,87,00 people.