About CELEP

The Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP) is an informal coalition of European members and East African partners focusing on communication, knowledge management and lobbying in favour of pastoralism in Eastern Africa.

Mission statement

The Members of the Coalition will work together to lobby their national governments, European Union (EU) bodies (Council, Parliament and Commission) as well as other policy-formulating bodies/ agencies in Europe (e.g. the European Headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva and the FAO in Rome) to explicitly recognise and support pastoralism (and the people who practise pastoralism: pastoralists) in the drylands of Eastern Africa.

How can one take part in the Coalition?

Participation in the Coalition is on a voluntary basis and is based on a shared commitment to and belief in the mission statement of the Coalition. Actors cooperating under the Coalition can take up several roles:

1) Member of the CELEP GoogleGroup. CELEP manages a GoogleGroup with over 500 members. This is a platform for exchanging relevant information on pastoralism in Eastern Africa. Individuals interested in joining the CELEP GoogleGroup can do so free of charge.

2) European CELEP member. In 2023, CELEP has 20 European members. These are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and research institutes in Europe concerned with pastoralism in Eastern Africa. The European CELEP members are expected to contribute financially or in kind to the work of the Coalition.

3) Eastern African CELEP partner. In 2023, CELEP has 15 Eastern African partners. These are not expected to contribute financially to CELEP.

4) CELEP Core Group member. The Core Group is composed of representatives of European members and Eastern African partners and is elected every year during the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Core Group members advise and guide the Focal Points of the Coalition. The Focal Points regularly inform the Core Group and request its collaboration through email, virtual meetings etc. The current Core Group comprises Agrecol Association, ESAPN, IIED, IUCN, PFE, RECONCILE, SNV and VSF-B.

5) CELEP Focal Point. CELEP has two Focal Points, one in Europe and one in Eastern Africa:

The European Focal Point’s functions include:
– to coordinate and monitor the functioning of the Coalition and to follow up on organisational issues and the different engagements of the members and partners, as agreed upon during the AGM;
– to function as the official CELEP voice in Europe and to maintain good contacts with European institutions such as the European Parliament, Commission and Council;
– to request the advice and inputs from the CELEP Core Group on a regular basis;
– to identify lobbying opportunities (also unforeseen ones) and to mobilise European members and Eastern African partners regarding these opportunities;
– to manage the GoogleGroup and provide input to the website;
– to follow up on the plans agreed at the AGM.

The Eastern African Focal Point’s functions include:
– to provide input to the European Focal Point and the Core Group;
– to represent CELEP in gatherings and meetings in Eastern Africa;
– to represent the Eastern African partners vis-à-vis the European Focal Point.

A European or Eastern African organisation interested in joining CELEP can complete the membership/partnership form. The completed form should be sent to either the European or the Eastern African Focal Point, who will forward it to the Core Group. If there are no justified objections from Core Group members within two weeks, the organisation will be accepted as member or partner.

How do we conduct our activities?

The Coalition’s mission is focused on Europe and, as such, involves European member organisations with a legitimate right to lobby their governments and the EU. However, the Coalition can do this work only by closely collaborating with partners in the form of pastoralist networks, experts and organisations working in Eastern Africa, since these actors are able to provide grassroots information and formulate the problems/needs of pastoralism/ists – crucial inputs for CELEP lobbying. The Eastern African partners have the legitimate right to lobby their own governments, the African Union and other regional African bodies. Therefore, the Coalition is based on close cooperation and information sharing between the European CELEP members and the Eastern African CELEP partners, all of whom form CELEP.

In 2018, CELEP developed an engagement strategy to better structure its interventions and to identify the different pathways through which it seeks to attain its objectives related to communication, advocacy and knowledge management. See the strategy here.

In 2021, CELEP members and partners engaged in intensive discussion to reach a common understanding of pastoralism. In the 3-pager “Pastoralists turn variability into food”, this understanding is summarised and some conclusions are drawn about what this means for the way we engage in advocacy activities. A 1.5-page version of the paper outlines the absolute basics of our understanding of pastoralism. This essence is also conveyed in the animated video “Pastoralism is the future“.

In December 2022, CELEP held a strategy planning meeting in Brussels and agreed on activities towards a road map to influence European Union institutions to create a more favourable policy environment for pastoralism.

Reports on CELEP activities can be found on this website by searching on the key word “Update”.

A bit of history

In June 2009, the first meeting of CELEP was held at the Cordaid office in The Hague, Netherlands. The participants decided on a light structure for their cooperation, guided by a mission statement not so much about the final objectives (in the sense of a blueprint) but rather about “travelling the same road together”, especially in joint efforts to lobby the European Union.

The participants decided that the Coalition would function according to the following principles:
1) Informal organisation with annual general meetings (AGMs)
2) No fixed office but rather “rotating” focal point based in Europe
3) Coordination by a Core Group for a term of one year, to be reviewed at the AGM
4) Communication between Coalition members and partners mainly by electronic means.

The subsequent AGMs have been hosted:
– in 2010 by Kimmage Development Studies Centre in Dublin, Ireland
– in 2011 by Practical Action in Rugby, UK
– in 2012 by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières–Belgium (VSF–B) in Brussels, Belgium
– in 2013 by Terra Nuova in Rome, Italy
– in 2014 by Misereor in Aachen, Germany
– in 2015 by Cordaid in The Hague, Netherlands
– in 2016, by IIED in London, UK
– in 2017, by VSF–B in Brussels, Belgium
– in 2018, by VSF–B in Brussels, Belgium
– in 2019, by VSF–B in Brussels, Belgium
– in 2020/21 online (because of Covid19)
– in 2022, by VSF-B in Brussels, Belgium

Priority lobbying issues. In its activities to lobby and inform the EU and its Member States, CELEP chose at its outset to focus on:

1. Recognition of pastoralism as a valuable & viable livelihood system that contributes to national & regional economies, food security, employment & sustainable management of natural resources
2. Mobility as a crucial condition for sustainable pastoralism and for community security in conflict areas, also across national borders
3. Pastoralists’ rights of access to and management of natural resources (land, vegetation, water etc), also as a contribution to community security in conflict areas
4. Pastoralism as a positive example of resilience in adapting to climate change.