Green transition & pastoralists in Eastern Africa

The Directorate-General for External Policies (DG EXPO) of the European Parliament published a commissioned report “Opportunities and challenges of the green transition for pastoralism and indigenous people in Africa” (2024) that focuses primarily on the situation of pastoralists in Eastern Africa. The publication includes the study report (42pp) by Jonathan Davies and the proceedings of the workshop (14pp) on this topic in the European Parliament in Brussels on 19 March 2024.

The green transition in Africa is attracting significant development finance, yet offers not just opportunities but also threats for pastoralists and indigenous peoples. The European Union (EU) has the capacity for adopting stronger mechanisms that avoid inequitable outcomes, while promoting projects that strengthen pastoralist development through the green transition. Achieving a just green transition requires adherence to established safeguards as well as international principles and norms around equitable development, emphasis on meaningful benefit sharing, and investing in the contribution that pastoralists can make to the green transition through sustainable natural resource management in their carbon-rich and biodiverse rangelands. The EU should strengthen internal knowledge and awareness of how negative stereotypes and discriminatory language are used to undermine pastoral resource rights and lead to inequitable outcomes through development interventions. Strengthening governance and land tenure, including reinforcing pastoralist civil society, will create a stronger platform for a just green transition.

Posted on 22 June 2024 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Natural Resources, Pastoralism & Services, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralism, Policy & Power