WAMIP members have been actively advocating for pastoralist rights and ensuring their voices are heard on the global stage. From the UN Biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia, to the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, WAMIP has engaged with key stakeholders to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and land degradation.
A historic decision at UNCCD COP16 has placed rangelands and pastoralists alongside forests and wetlands in global conservation efforts. This recognition underscores their vital role in climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and food security. Despite contributing 17% of the world’s food supply and storing nearly a third of global carbon stock in soil, rangelands and the communities that depend on them have long been overlooked in conservation funding and policies.
This new commitment promotes sustainable management, restoration, and conservation of rangelands, as well as the strengthening of pastoralists’ land rights. Their indigenous and local knowledge is crucial to preserving these ecosystems.
However, ensuring that indigenous pastoralists are meaningfully included in global and regional decision-making processes remains a critical challenge. Many pastoralist communities continue to face displacement and lack recognition as customary landowners. Their expertise and leadership must be at the center of land management policies to create truly sustainable solutions.
WAMIP welcomes this progress but urges the international community to take further action to fully uphold the rights and livelihoods of indigenous pastoralist communities worldwide.
We thank our members for their hard work in advancing this global effort and improving pastoralist lives.