The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and its partners have launched an online knowledge hub for pastoralists, which aims to ensure that issues of concern to pastoralists are addressed in global policy debates.
27 April 2015: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and its partners have launched an online knowledge hub for pastoralists, which aims to ensure that issues of concern to pastoralists are addressed in global policy debates.
Speaking during the launch ceremony on 27 April 2015, FAO Deputy Director-General Helena Semedo noted that despite their contribution to food production and sustainable management of the world’s rangelands, pastoralist concerns are “poorly heard by the international community.” In addition to providing a repository of pastoralist research, one of the key functions of the hub is to establish a participation mechanism for pastoralist communities, enabling them to select representatives to global forums such as the Intergovernmental Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
The new hub brings together pastoralist networks and pastoralist development partner organizations including the FAO, the African Union (AU), the EU, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Bank, and pastoralist civil society groups. [UN Press Release] [Pastoralist Knowledge Hub] [Land Policy and Practice Story on UNEP, IUCN Publication Exploring Pastoralism’s Role in Sustainability and the Green Economy]