November 19-21, 2025 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia) IGAD through its specialized Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) held a Ministerial conference on 21st November 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, preceded by a two-day technical session on 19th – 20th November 2025.
The Conference titled “IGAD Ministerial Conference on Transhumance and Livestock Development” brought together directors and sectoral Ministers responsible for pastoralism and livestock development from the seven IGAD countries, EU, UN-ILO and other donor partners and civil society representatives from pastoral areas.
The ministerial session focused on developing commitments towards unlocking pastoral livelihoods and livestock productivity through transboundary cooperation, while the technical session focused its discussion on four regional policy issues including operationalization of the IGAD protocol on transhumance, management of rangeland resources, control of TADs and livestock markets and trade.
Co-hosted by H.E. the IGAD Executive Secretary and the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the session offered an opportunity to reframe narratives and policies around transhumance, calling for actions that better reflect pastoral communities’ dynamism and resilience, in the face of complex challenges such as drought, insecurity and climate change.
Speaking on behalf of the IGAD Executive Secretary, the Deputy Executive Secretary H.E. Mohamed Ware said, “If pastoralism teaches us anything, it teaches us adaptability. The seasonal mobility that defines transhumance is not a dusty relic of the past, it is our region’s most sophisticated, nature-based response to climate variability. The IGAD Protocol on Transhumance preserves this system by ensuring that mobility across borders is safe, orderly, predictable, and dignified, supported by harmonised standards, transhumance certificates, and coordinated surveillance systems.”
The ministerial session culminated in IGAD’s Member States signing the first Ministerial Communique on Transhumance and Livestock Development which is linked below. This marks a key milestone in the journey of operationalizing and implementing the IGAD Transhumance Protocol.
Click here: English Communique
Click here: French Communique
Click here: Video on Transhumance in the IGAD Region
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About the Conference:
Ethiopia has adopted a progressive national policy framework on Pastoralism and has continued to hold national pastoral expos to promote the untapped sociocultural and economic wealth in pastoral communities. Last year’s Regional Pastoralism Expo event was co-organized with IGAD to bring together regional actors and Members States to appreciate the rich cultural heritage in pastoral practices and their socioeconomic contribution to the IGAD Member States and the region.
In attendance at the Expo were key stakeholders from IGAD Member States’ line ministries, sub-national governments, parliamentary pastoral groups, academia, partners, pastoralist networks, civil society organizations and pastoral communities.
Springing from the Regional Pastoralism Expo, this IGAD-organized Ministerial meeting brought out key commitments on transboundary cooperation and recommendations for supporting national and regional efforts towards unlocking livestock sector and pastoralism in the region. The conference was organized within the “Support for Free Movement of Persons and Transhumance in the IGAD Region–Phase II” project, funded by the European Union.
