From 8 to 11 June, WAMIP members participated in the 14th Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) Multistakeholder Partnership Meeting, titled ‘From Global Dialogue to Local Action for Resilient Livestock and Sustainability’, in Dakar, Senegal.
The aim of this gathering was to contribute to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) and the International Year of Woman Farmer (IYWF) through multistakeholder dialogue and policy-oriented discussions regarding innovation and good practices for sustainable livestock in resilient agri-food systems and One Health.
During the meeting, WAMIP members Fagouri Said and Pablo Frere participated in sessions as panellists, discussing topics such as sustainable livestock transformation, actions for the IYRP and IYWF, and actions to enhance food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and climate change adaptation.
WAMIP also organised a parallel session on the challenges facing pastoralists and multi-stakeholder approaches to addressing these challenges. Fagouri Said presented the contributions of the Law on Sheep and Goat Cradles to achieving the objectives of GASL, IYRP and IYWF 2026 in Morocco. Enacted in 1984, the law is a legislative tool for the sustainable management of local ecosystems and the safeguarding of resilient sheep and goat biodiversity. The Cradle Law also secures the pastoral way of life by legally linking the animal to its environment, as native breeds are key to adapting to climate change. It also impacts the economy of local communities, particularly rural women, by promoting local products.
Pablo Frere’s presentation showed that the greenhouse gases emitted by mobile pastoralist systems are identical to the natural GHGs in the ecosystems they inhabit, and that this must be taken into account by the scientific community and public policies.
Ilse Koehler-Rollefson from the League of Pastoral Peoples (LPP) was invited to share about the draw attention to the global situation of pastoralists losing access to their lands, and refer to LPP’s “Threat Mapping Initiative,” which could be part of a solution.
After the presentations, comments were shared by producers, scientists and members of NGOs to reflect together on how to tackle these challenges with a multistakeholder approach.
Drawing on specific local experiences and concrete proposals for action, the members of WAMIP continue to contribute to the development of a global agenda that promotes and defends pastoral systems in recognition of their contribution to sustainability.
