Between 6 and 13 September 2025, global grassroots movements gathered in Kandy, Sri Lanka, for the 3rd Nyéléni Global Forum, united in their commitment to building a world beyond capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, racism, and fascism. More than 700 participants from across the world came together to shape a Common Political Action Agenda (CPAA), offering a shared roadmap for systemic transformation grounded in solidarity across movements.
The Nyéléni Global Forum provided WAMIP delegates with an important opportunity to convene with WAMIP members, as well as with potential collaborators and allies. Discussions focused not only on the CPAA and the Forum’s Final Declaration, but also on internal strategy and preparations for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) 2026. As a result of WAMIP’s consultations and lobbying efforts, pastoralist perspectives were integrated into Sections 3 and 4 of the CPAA, as well as into the Final Declaration. WAMIP was also granted observer status on the drafting committee of the Nyéléni Global Forum.
WAMIP members discussed global and regional preparations for the IYRP. It was agreed that regional gatherings would focus on three key questions, which will ultimately inform the global pastoralist gathering to be held in Mongolia in August 2026:
- What actions are required at the regional level to support local pastoralists?
- What can the region contribute to the global process in terms of learning and best practice?
- What does the region want to bring back from the global pastoralist gathering as a long-lasting tool, decision, or achievement?
Members of the WAMIP Steering Committee also organised bilateral meetings and strengthened ties with the World March of Women (WMW), Grassroots International, the Civil Society Philanthropy Group, and researchers. The Forum further provided an opportunity for WAMIP to encourage pastoralist representatives from the Arctic and Central Asia to formally join the Alliance.
While WAMIP’s Global Secretariat focused on lobbying and strategic engagement, WAMIP members also took the floor during plenary sessions. On the first day of the Forum, Khalid Khawaldeh, Global Representative of WAMIP, spoke about how pastoralist livelihoods are being endangered by restricted mobility across grazing lands due to infrastructure expansion, intensive farming, closed borders, and anti-pastoral policies. He also highlighted the impacts of climate change on pastoralist lives, as well as the continued lack of participation and representation of pastoralists in key decision-making forums.
On the second day, Verdiana Morandi, a WAMIP member from Europe, called for systemic change rooted in rights, sustained by the commons, carried forward by women and youth, and advanced through global alliances. Benjamin Mutambukah, representing the East and Southern Africa regions, emphasised the need to strengthen alliances, establish effective support systems, deepen horizontal governance, preserve local and indigenous animal breeds, and advance climate justice.
The Forum was more than a meeting; it was a collective act of resistance and imagination. It demonstrated how collaboration across movements can strengthen shared struggles, amplify marginalised voices, and build the power needed to drive real change. This Forum marked not an end, but the beginning of a renewed phase of joint action. WAMIP looks forward to working with partners across movements to implement the common strategy and translate shared visions into tangible change for pastoralists, communities, and the planet.
