Every autumn, UIMLA has a very special moment that brings together the mountain professional community from around the world: the annual General Assembly (GA).
This year, the GA was once again hosted by our Slovak association – SAHS, at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains. This was the second time in the last ten years that delegates from across the world had gathered in Slovakia for our annual meeting.
As usual, we used this international gathering as an opportunity to organize workshops, presentations and discussions during the two days preceding the official General Assembly. This allowed delegates to exchange knowledge and experiences before moving on to the formal meeting and important decisions concerning our Union.
This year’s presentations and discussions covered a wide range of topics:
- The High Tatra Mountains – nature, wildlife and protection, and Encountering brown bears while hiking in the Carpathians, both presented by Martin Peleš from TANAP (Tatra National Park).
- The new electronic UIMLA membership card, presented by UIMLA President Ian Spare.
- Governance, accountability and ethics within UIMLA, presented by Vice President Marian Anghel.
- The development of mountain professions in Pakistan, a project presented by Cesare Bianchi (Co.Na.GAI, Italy).
In addition, the two delegates from our candidate member country, Ukraine, finally had the opportunity to give a comprehensive presentation about their national professional association.
The Ukrainian Association of International Mountain Leaders (UAIML) finds itself in a particularly challenging situation. It is currently the first and only UIMLA association with some of its members directly involved in the war following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The development of the Ukrainian association, particularly since 2022, has been made possible thanks to the support of the Slovak association, and especially the efforts of Peter Svätojánsky and Marcel Kubinský.
Alongside the UIMLA programme, our Slovak friends also took the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of a new generation of Slovak International Mountain Leaders. The new IML badges were presented personally by UIMLA President Ian Spare.
On Saturday, 7 November 2026, the official General Assembly brought together representatives of 26 full member countries and two aspirant member countries, both in person and online.
The gathering began with a moment of remembrance for two of our delegates who sadly passed away since our last General Assembly in Bulgaria: Kevin Sitford (UK) and Călin Stan (Romania).
One of the important items on the agenda was the approval of amendments to the UIMLA Statutes, an essential step towards reflecting the current development and needs of our international organization.
The Technical Commission (named ”Council” – in the future) will also undergo a process of reorganization in the coming months, during which all member countries will be invited to contribute. Further details on this important development will follow.
At this General Assembly, the UIMLA Executive Board welcomed two new members: Asteris Chatzikas (HMLA, Greece) and Ricardo Salluca (AGMTB, Bolivia), following the departure of Bill Bailey (UK) and Danijela Bucić (Croatia).
Welcome Asteris and Ricardo! Thank you, Danijela! Thank you, Bill!
We would like to express our special appreciation and gratitude for Bill’s outstanding contribution to UIMLA over almost 20 years of involvement, first as the UK delegate and later as Head of the UIMLA Technical Commission.
Unfortunately, personal and family circumstances did not allow Bill to join us in Slovakia and celebrate his departure from the Board together with the UIMLA community.
Another particularly important moment in UIMLA’s history was the election of Ricardo Salluca (AGMTB, Bolivia), representing our South American members, to the Executive Board. This is the first time ever that a delegate from South America has joined the leadership of our Union.
Together with the contribution of Nils Fontenla (AAGM, Argentina) to UIMLA’s technical activities, this represents another important step in our continuous international development, extending far beyond the European origins of our organization in the late 1980s.
As every year, the General Assembly also offered special moments for delegates to get to know each other better, strengthen friendships and become more connected to our wonderful international community.
A very appreciated one is the ”national dinner”, where everyone tried to bring a taste of their own country, was once again a lovely opportunity to share cultures and traditions.
And, of course, we could not leave Slovakia without enjoying the beautiful nature of the High Tatras. Our Slovak hosts, Peter and Marcel, led us on a lovely walk through this remarkable mountain landscape.
More details about the activities and decisions of this year’s General Assembly will be shared through UIMLA’s internal communication channels.
The next UIMLA General Assembly will be organised by our Italian association, Co.Na.GAI, in northern Italy on 6 November 2027.
Until then, we continue working together towards the development of our international mountain profession and the strengthening of our global community.
Finally, a big thank you to our Slovak association and the entire team who made this General Assembly possible: Martin Peleš, Adriana Matulíková, Stano Faban, Michal Tomko, Peter Svätojánsky and Marcel Kubinský.
Ďakujem!
