IGAD Ministerial Conference on Transhumance and Livestock
Development
November 21, 2025 Addis Ababa, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
We, the Ministers responsible for Agriculture, Livestock and Arid Lands Development of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Member States; Republic of Djibouti, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Kenya, Federal Republic of Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Republic of Sudan and the Republic of Uganda. Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on this 215 Day of November 2025 for the Ministerial Conference on Transhumance and Livestock Development, under the IGAD Chair, Republic of Djibouti;
In the presence of the IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary, ILO Country Director for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Special Representative to the AU, IGAD and ECA, Representative of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia, and the Deputy Director General of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH);
Guided by the founding principles of the agreement establishing IGAD (1996);
Recalling the African Union Policy Framework for Pastoralism in Africa (2011); Agenda 2063; the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); the processes of Conference of Parties (COPs) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Kampala Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change (2022);
Recognising the centrality of transhumance and livestock development to the region’s identity and economy, hosting huge livestock resources, supporting livelihoods and contributing significantly to the GDP of IGAD Member States;
Further recognising that pastoralism’s impact goes beyond its direct contributions to national GDP through livestock and livestock products, and also stimulates a wide range of economic benefits, where alternatives are scarce, creating decent employment opportunities and green jobs in multiple sectors including ranching, livestock trade, transport, leather processing, slaughterhouses, butcheries, and food services;
Deeply concerned by the multi-year droughts that have undermined the resilience of pastoral communities across IGAD Member States, resulting in significant losses of livestock during the 2020-2022 drought, feed deficits and rapid degradation of shared rangelands, water scarcity, high burden of transboundary animal diseases, poor market access and mobility constraints, and the intensifying pressures of climate variability, insecurity and resource-based conflict;
Noting the substantive progress made by IGAD Member States, the Secretariat and its specialised institution, the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), in advancing regional instruments, namely the IGAD Protocol on Transhumance, MOUs on Cross-border Cooperation and Coordination on Animal Health and Sanitary Measures, Regional Guidelines on Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS), Animal Health, Animal Welfare, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, and Participatory Rangelands Management;
Acknowledging with appreciation, the long-standing support of development and technical partners including the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Mercy Corps and like-minded partners for their continued investment in pastoralism, livestock value chains, rangelands and resilience programming;
Commending the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, our gracious and exemplary host, for its leadership and commitment to pastoral and rangeland governance, and for providing an environment conducive to constructive regional dialogue;
Reaffirming our commitment to the full and expedited implementation of the IGAD Protocol on Transhumance as the foundation for safe, orderly and dignified cross-border mobility and fully develop the socio-economic potential of pastoral systems;
Hereby adopt the following decisions and commitments:
On the IGAD Protocol on Transhumance and its Implementation Roadmap:
Accelerate national processes of signing, ratification, domestication and operationalisation of the Protocol, including alignment with national policy and legislative frameworks;
Strengthen governance of transboundary mobility through functional cross-border coordination mechanisms, including traditional institutions, bilateral and multilateral agreements for conflict-prevention and response;
Address insecurity and resource-based conflicts that limit pastoral mobility by enhancing peace-building initiatives, supporting coordinated regional disarmament efforts, and reinforcing security cooperation along shared transhumance corridors; Support the mapping, marking and the gazettement of transhumance corridors as a means to the effective governance of livestock mobility in the region;
Further support multi-sectoral collaboration to invest in social services, in particular, education and health for mobile populations along transhumance corridors.
On the Management of Rangelands, Livestock Feed and Water Resources Prioritise and Apply Participatory Rangeland Management as a regional approach for the governance and stewardship of communal and cross-border rangelands, including the coordination of customary and statutory rangeland institutions;
Support the development of certified forage seed systems, harmonised feed standards and regional frameworks for cross-border forage seed and fodder trade;
Inigat in sysleis feng seseings, stalesic water points development, including drought- Undertake integrated land restoration programmes, including reseeding, invasive species management, grazing systems and community-led rehabilitation, to safeguard rangeland ecosystems.
On Control of Priority Transboundary Animal Diseases:
Enhance harmonised surveillance and synchronized vaccination, diagnostic capacity and response systems under the IGAD Regional Animal Health Strategy, including improved laboratory networks, rapid diagnostics and real-time information sharing;
Recommit to the eradication of PPR (Peste des Petits Ruminants) by 2030 through expanded vaccination, strengthened veterinary services, and coordinated cross-border campaigns, particularly along transhumance routes and border markets;
Strengthen movement control systems, quarantine infrastructure, livestock identification and traceability to reduce the spread of transboundary animal diseases, which continue to trigger frequent export bans and disrupt market access;
Further Strengthen the IGAD One Health Platform to support integrated human-animal-environment health responses, with a special focus on zoonoses and Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), climate-sensitive diseases and border hotspots.
On Livestock Trade and Market Access
Implement Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards and harmonise veterinary certification procedures and livestock movement regulations to facilitate safe, competitive intra-regional and international trade;
Scale up livestock traceability systems, market information platforms, and mobility monitoring tools to regulate cross-border trade and strengthen compliance with international standards;
Invest in strategic regional market and transport infrastructure, including livestock market centres, holding grounds, quarantine stations, abattoirs, feeder roads and livestock transport facilities, leveraging on the opportunities provided by AICFTA, to promote intra-regional trade and enhance value addition and competitiveness;
Strengthen producer organisations, live animal export cooperatives and pastoral associations to enable aggregation, contract farming, and improved bargaining power in regional and international markets.
On Gender Equality, Youth Empowerment and Social Inclusion
Integrate gender equality, youth empowerment and social inclusion across transhumance and livestock development programmes;
Strengthen the leadership and economic participation of women and youth in dairy, small ruminants, ranching, livestock marketing, slaughterhouses, leather processing / hides and skins and rangeland governance;
Promote youth-led innovations in digital livestock development, value addition, feed production, animal health and climate-smart technologies to stimulate decent employment and green jobs in pastoral communities.
On Data, Knowledge Management and Early Warning
Integrate climate services information, mobility analytics, rangeland monitoring and disease surveillance into IGAD’s Early Warning to Early Action systems to strengthen cross-border data sharing, risk forecasting and scenario planning for mobility, drought, animal health and markets;
Support the establishment of a regional information system on sustainable pastoralism, mobility governance, rangeland management and livestock value chains, aligned with IGAD Vision 2050.
On Partnerships, Coordination and Resource Mobilisation
Strengthen coordination within the IGAD MS, the African Union, United Nations agencies, development and technical partners, civil society, academia and the private sector to advance the region’s pastoral and livestock agenda;
Incentivise private sector to invest in livestock disease prevention and control, risk mitigation and livestock insurance;
Call upon partners to continue supporting the implementation of the IGAD Protocol on Transhumance, rangeland restoration, livestock value chains, digital systems and animal health frameworks.
Final Provisions
Endorse this Communiqué as a collective expression of our shared vision to transform transhumance and sustainable livestock into pillars of resilience, stability and regional integration;
Direct the IGAD Secretariat to coordinate the implementation, monitoring and reporting of the provisions of this communique;
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Communique-IGAD Ministerial Conference on Transhumance and Livestock Development 21.11.2025 (1)
