Pastoralists have unanimously endorsed a declaration calling for recognition of their rights and protection of their lands and territories.
Under the Ulaanbaatar Declaration 2026, they also called for secure pastoral mobility, climate justice, recognition of Indigenous knowledge and meaningful investment in pastoralist communities.
The pastoralists endorsed the declaration in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as the world gathers for the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).
The meeting is a platform where the world responds to land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Festus Ng’eno is leading the Kenyan delegation to the meeting.
In the declaration, the pastoralists said they are not part of the problem but part of the solution.
“We, the Pastoralist Peoples of the World, including the Indigenous Pastoralist Peoples, declare that we are the true guardians, knowledge and rights-holders of our ancestral lands, territories and resources,” part of the declaration says.
“For generations, we have sustainably governed and managed pastoral rangelands through our customary institutions, traditional knowledge, mobility and collective stewardship, sustaining biodiversity, ecosystems, food systems, cultures and livelihoods.”
The pastoralists said their customary systems, including pastoral mobility and transboundary livestock corridors, enable them to follow the seasonal distribution of water and grazing resources, adapt to climate change, regenerate pastoral land and sustain livelihoods across borders.
They raised concerns about changes occurring in rangelands and pastoralist areas, including land degradation, climate change and globalisation.
The pastoralists said they have contributed the least to climate emissions but are the most affected. They carry a disproportionate double burden of climate adaptation and mitigation efforts that degrade their ancestral pasturelands.
They decried the rate at which their grazing lands are being lost, affecting their land rights.
They said the fragmentation of grazing lands by both small- and large-scale developments is continuing and increasing.
This includes growing impacts from unsustainable extractive industries such as mining and energy development, road and transport infrastructure, leisure cabins and tourism, agricultural expansion, urbanisation and other large-scale projects.
They also noted with concern the overall lack of responsible land management plans for pastoralist pasturelands. They called for the establishment of comprehensive monitoring systems for degradation and encroachment of pastoralist pasturelands.
They cited land and water grabbing, including so-called green solutions, greenwashing, extractive industries and conservation, as major threats to pastoralist livelihoods, mobility and the integrity of their homelands. They called for effective measures to illuminate, address, prevent and halt such practices.
The pastoralists called upon governments and development actors to recognise and respect pastoralist knowledge on land use and land management practices to enhance biodiversity.
They also called for this knowledge to be documented in Nationally Determined Contributions reports and National Biodiversity Action Plans.
They now want governments, international institutions, development partners and all decision-makers to act to secure a just and resilient future for young pastoralists.
To secure their rights, the pastoralists called for investment in youth through relevant and culturally appropriate life skills and education for economic empowerment.
They also called for targeted capacity-building, access to land and finance, appropriate infrastructure, technology, innovation and decent economic opportunities to sustain their livelihoods and futures.
“We call upon governments, international institutions, development partners and all decision-makers to recognise pastoralist women and girls as rights-holders, knowledge holders, leaders and equal partners in shaping a just, resilient and sustainable future.”
They also called for guarantees of pastoralist women and girls’ rights by securing their equal access to land ownership, use, inheritance, finance, markets, education, technology and innovation, social protection and decent livelihood opportunities.
“Protect pastoralist women and girls from gender-based violence, discrimination, insecurity, and all forms of exploitation.”
As part of securing their rights, pastoralists called for the establishment of a United Nations Day of Pastoralists to strengthen recognition of the global contributions of Pastoralist Peoples.
They also called for the establishment of an Independent and Autonomous Global Pastoralist-led Commission, led by Indigenous Pastoralist Peoples, to monitor progress, follow up on the implementation of these Calls to Action, and strengthen coordination and accountability among Pastoralist Peoples and relevant institutions.
