Around 300 delegates representing pastoralist organizations and communities from approximately 100 countries gathered in Mongolia from 10–15 August for the Global Pastoralist Gathering and Conference, culminating in plenary sessions in Ulaanbaatar.
The gathering brought together the outcomes of regional pastoralist meetings held around the world, with the aim of consolidating their priorities, concerns and proposals into a Global Pastoralist Declaration.
During the plenary sessions on 14 and 15 August, delegates worked to develop unified messages and recommendations that could bring the voices of pastoralists to the international stage.
Today, 15 August, on the concluding day of the gathering in Ulaanbaatar, delegates completed their joint work on the Global Pastoralist Declaration and recommendations and formally submitted the Declaration to the United Nations.
The messages agreed in Ulaanbaatar are intended to provide a collective pastoralist position for governments and other stakeholders participating in UNCCD COP17, which begins in Ulaanbaatar on Monday, 17 August.
This milestone is particularly significant as 2026 is the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, an initiative originally championed by Mongolia. The Global Pastoralist Gathering therefore represents one of the key moments of the International Year, bringing pastoralists from across the world together to articulate shared priorities and carry their voices into global policy discussions.
Anders Oskal of the World Reindeer Herders and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, Co-Chair of the International Steering Committee for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, played an active role in finalizing the Declaration.
The text of the Declaration will be posted soon.
Photo: ICR
