[Completed] August 4-7, 2025, Bolivia: XIII Encuentro Internacional de La Red Andina de Saberes y Haceres, over 100 people form 6 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia, as the hosting country) attended this meeting to address the central theme of "Knowledge and Practices of Andean Indigenous Peoples in Pastoralism, Crafts, and Medicinal Plant Management". It was organized by the Andean Network of Knowledge and Practices and REDAR Peru, with support of the IYRP Global Alliance (more here)
September 23-25, 2025, Taragt-Uvurkhangai, Mongolia: Mongolian National Rangeland Forum, aims to strengthen the voices of Mongolian herders particularly women and youth in advancing sustainable rangeland management, policy influence, and national solidarity. The forum will focus on eco-certification, premium value chains, ecosystem service fees, and the challenges and opportunities for youth and women herders. A key outcome will be the consolidation of Mongolian women herders’ priorities and issues, which will be presented at the Asian Pastoralist Women’s Gathering. The event will be supported by national and international partners committed to sustainable rangelands and the empowerment of herding communities.
December 8-11, 2025, Kampala, Uganda: African Pastoralists Women’s Gathering (APWG) in Support of IYRP2026, aims to strengthen the voices of African pastoralist women and girls to advance policy influence, and continental solidarity for pastoralist women. Expected outcomes include development and ratification of an African Women’s Charter for Rangelands and Resilience and formation of a pan-African network of pastoralist women. The Gathering is being organized and hosted by the Ateker Cultural Center (ACC ) in Uganda under the National Land Coalition Uganda (NLC-UG) and co-convened by regional and national partners.
December 18-21, 2025, Gujarat, India: Asian Pastoralist Women’s Gathering, intends to revisit and update the MERA declaration in the completion of its 15 years to assess the rights and recognition of the pastoralist women in the context of land rights, climate justice, equity, and biodiversity conservation. It is convened by the Pastoral Women Alliance, MARAG, and South Asia Pastoralist Alliance in support of both IYRP and IYWF. January 2026, Tunisia: Middle East and North Africa Pastoralist Women’s Gathering, this gathering will bring together pastoralist women from the 22 Arab states to share their knowledge and experiences and identify priorities to bring forward to the global gathering of pastoralist women. It is organized by the Arab Network for Rural, Bedouin and Coastal Women with support from the FAO.
February 7, 2026, Monterey, CA, USA: North American Pastoralist Women’s Gathering, intends to identify key issues and challenges that face pastoral women in the context of biodiversity conservation, public engagement, and sustainable rangeland use and restoration in the United States. It is convened by the Society for Range Management and local to regional pastoral organizations in support of the IYRP, IYWF (International Year of the Women Farmer) and UNDER (UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration).
March 13-14, 2026 Paicines Ranch, CA, USA: Women in Ranching Confluence Gathering, Organized by the US-based NGO Women in Ranching, this gathering brings together diverse pastoralist women from across the United States, including from Indigenous Nations. As part of the group’s annual in person gathering, several hours will be dedicated to discussing key issues and messages the group would like to bring forward to the Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women in Kathmandu.
April 8-11, 2026, Madrid Spain: International Gathering of Young Pastoralists will address the common challenges and opportunities that young herders face across the world in sustaining and strengthening their livelihoods. At the same time and in the same venue, CIHEAM will hold an IYRP scientific meeting (with its own funding), bringing together scientists and pastoralism experts from the Mediterranean region. These experts will meet and exchange with young pastoralists from around the globe, and conclusions will be developed to feed into the Global Pastoralist Gathering in Mongolia.
May 2026, Saly, Senegal: The gathering of pastoralists from West and Central Africa aims to bring together all indigenous experts in pastoralism to share their empirical knowledge of herd management techniques according to grazing areas and pastoral seasons, animal disease treatment, etc. The gathering will take place ahead of the 5th edition of the international symposium “Milk, a Vector for Development.”
May 26-29, 2026, Kathmandu Nepal: Global Gathering of Pastoralist Women, is a meeting to celebrate and strengthen the voices of women pastoralists from around the world. We expect about 100 pastoralist women representatives from pastoralist regions throughout the world to gather at this global event. They will discuss and finalize a global set of priorities and key messages from pastoralist women, develop a strategy for delivering these messages in global decision-making forums, and catalyze formation of a global network of pastoralist women.
June 2026, Cusco, Peru: Women, Youth and Elder South America Pastoral Gathering, aims to promote continuous action by pastoral communities, set a regional agenda for enhancing rangeland governance and recognition of pastoralist livelihoods, and ensure a strong representation at the Global Pastoralist Gatheringin Mongolia around COP17 UNCCD in August 2026 and other global events beyond 2026.
July/early August 2026, Tsaaganur, Mongolia: World Reindeer Herders’ Congress, is a unique cultural and professional event that brings together representatives of reindeer herding peoples from around the circumpolar region. The Congress is organised by World Reindeer Herders (WRH) in cooperation with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. Declarations are prepared on the completion of each Congress to be shared at the UNCCD COP 17. The Mobile Food Lab will showcase Sámi cuisine and culture.
August 11-17, 2026, Mongolia: Global Pastoralist Gathering and Call to Action Caravan, will amplify the voices of pastoralists from around the world and draw upon the previous pastoralist gatherings. Details of these events are being developed. The UNCCD COP 17 will provide the opportunity for pastoralists to engage government and civil society representatives on priority issues. The Call to Action Caravan will travel around the country and be a unique opportunity for pastoralists to exchange experiences with Mongolian herders and families.