UN Committee on Agriculture approves IYRP

UN Committee on Agriculture approves International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists

The initiative for an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) has taken a huge step forward. In the online meeting this week of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Mongolian Government presented its proposal to declare 2026 as a year to promote rangelands and pastoralists through awareness-raising and other activities. Numerous country representatives in the COAG expressed strong support. The COAG endorsed the Mongolian proposal with no objections. It will now go on to the FAO Council meeting in December 2020 and the FAO Conference in June 2021, which then recommends it for the UN General Assembly’s official designation, expected in October 2021.

In a united global effort, numerous national governments, research and teaching institutes, and – above all – civil society organisations, including associations of pastoralists, sent support letters and logos for the “online booth” set up especially for the virtual COAG meeting (www.iyrp.info). By the time the Mongolian proposal was discussed in the meeting, more than 150 organisations from all continents had expressed support. CELEP took part in the COAG meeting on 28 Sept – 2 Oct as observer.

On 1 October 2020, H.E. Jambaldorj Tserendorj, the Mongolian Ambassador to the FAO, spoke to the COAG. He presented pastoralism as a source of livelihood for millions of people and as one of the most sustainable food production systems on the planet, which safeguards ecosystems and biodiversity. He called for the COAG to endorse an IYRP so as to increase global awareness of the importance of the rangelands and pastoralists for global food security and ecosystem services. He thanked pastoralist organisations worldwide for their support for this proposal.

Numerous speakers from other countries underlined the importance of the Mongolian initiative to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribute to the current UN Decade of Family Farming (2019–28) and the upcoming UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–30).

The COAG acknowledged the important role of rangelands and pastoralists in contributing to national economies and supporting livelihoods and food security for millions of people, as well as providing ecosystem services, particularly in arid and semi-arid and mountainous areas. It further acknowledged the potential of rangelands and pastoralism to contribute significantly to the SDGs. It recognised the numerous challenges faced by pastoralists and rangelands, such as the impact of climate change. It requested FAO to mainstream its work on rangeland and pastoralism to ensure that these are considered systematically in its technical and policy programmes.

The COAG also acknowledged the broad support of Member Countries; international, national and local civil society organisations; United Nations organisations; and international institutions to the Mongolian Government’s proposal for an IYRP.

Posted on 2 October 2020 in News, Pastoralism, Policy & Power, Pastoralist Livelihoods & Nutrition, Value of Pastoralism