European MEPs at Addis livestock market
On 27 November 2013, Fiona Hall and Catherine Bearder, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), visited the Kera cattle market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The visit was organised by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF) Germany, as a member of the Coalition of European Lobbies on Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP), to raise awareness on the Hall-Chégou report on the social and environmental impact of pastoralism. This report was presented at the 26th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) and European Union (EU) countries on 25–27 November in Addis Ababa. The MEPs interacted with local livestock traders. CELEP worked closely with Fiona Hall and Mr Abdourahamane Chégou, Member of Parliament from Niger, in writing this report and intervened at several sessions of the Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA). This led to a coherent report that urged African countries to align their national and regional policies with the African Union Policy Framework on Pastoralism. It called on the EU to recognise pastoralism as a valuable production system and encouraged ACP states and the EU to support pastoralists in conflict resolution. The report was discussed at the JPA and approved.
Posted on 11 January 2014 in CELEP Documents, News, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Value of Pastoralism