Regional Pastoralist CSO symposium 13–14 May 2013 in Kampala
The Coalition of Pastoralist Civil Society Organisations (COPACSO) and the Uganda Land Alliance (ULA) jointly organised an Eastern Africa Regional Symposium on Pastoralism on 13–14 May 2013 in Kampala, Uganda. They sought to contribute to realising specific objectives of the AU Policy Framework for Pastoralism in Africa by:
- Providing a platform to guide and tailor actions towards issues considered critical in pastoral communities
- Promoting better market access for pastoral products
- Facilitating greater participation of pastoral people in decision-making and policy debates
- Harnessing the collective power of pastoral people and their organisations.
The papers and discussion focused on:
- The AU Policy Framework on Pastoralism
- Pastoralism legislation lessons from West Africa
- The Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
- The IGAD Drought Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI)
- The East African Common Market
The participants identified several actionable points (see page 14) that they will incorporate in the workplans of their respective organisations. On issues that affect more than one country, CELEP partners (Pastoralist Forum Ethiopia, Kenya Livestock Marketing Council, RECONCILE, COPACSO and a partner to be identified in Tanzania) planned to initiate collective efforts, especially on issues related to the East African Community.
The final report on the symposium can be found here. For more information, contact Benjamin Mutambukah: benjamuta (at) gmail.com
Posted on 27 April 2013 in News, Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism, Mobility & Land Tenure, Pastoralism, Policy & Power