Picture courtesy: Jason Taylor
press release
For Immediate Release
Ahmedabad, India — 10–12 December 2025
Pastoralist women from across Asia are coming together in Gujarat for what will be the region’s largest gathering of pastoralist women in 15 years. More than 150 pastoralist women leaders, policymakers, researchers, civil society representatives, and international agencies from across Asia will take part in the Asian Pastoralists Women Gathering (APWG), a landmark event poised to influence global debates in the lead up to the UN’s International Year of rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026) and the International Year of Women Farmers (IYRF 2026). The event will be co-hosted by the International Land Coalition together with the Pastoral Women Alliance and South Asia Pastoral Alliance (SAPA).
Spanning 25 percent of the world’s land, and supporting nearly 500 million people, pastoralism is a climate-resilient livelihood that depends on mobility, ecological knowledge and the stewardship of vast rangelands. Yet the pastoralist women who sustain this way of life often remain invisible in policy spaces, facing a unique “double marginalization” both as women and as pastoralists.
“At Asia Pastoralist Women Gathering, we are revisiting the Mera Declaration after 15 years and asking: what has changed on the ground for women pastoralists, and what still needs to change? We expect clear commitments to turn words into action so that women pastoralists see real improvements in recognition of our role as pastoralist land rights, services and representation in daily lives.”- Bhavana Rabari, Maldhari Rural Action Group (MARAG) India.
This year’s APWG marks the 15th anniversary of the MERA Declaration, a groundbreaking set of demands issued by pastoralist women from 32 countries in 2010. Participants in Gujarat will update that declaration to reflect today’s realities; shrinking grazing routes, extreme climate shocks, pressures from carbon markets, gendered labour burdens, and rising threats to mobility.
Why this gathering matters now
With governments preparing national strategies for IYRP 2026, the Gujarat meeting arrives at a critical moment. Decisions made in 2025 will shape global narratives on rangelands, food systems, and people-led climate solutions. Pastoralist women intend to ensure their voices are central - not an afterthought.
"Launching the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Asia together with women pastoralists is both powerful and symbolic. Women are the knowledge holders, the organisers, and the quiet leaders of pastoral systems. The gathering of women pastoralists reminds us that sustainable rangeland governance starts with recognising the rights and agency of women. Their voices must shape the decisions and investments that define this year and beyond. With the gathering, we celebrate not only the IYRP but the leadership of women who sustain and defend our rangelands."- Anu Verma, Asia Regional Coordinator, International Land Coalition.
Participants will collectively shape gender-transformative strategies to elevate women-led innovations in land governance, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, sustainable rangelands management and economic empowerment.
Expected Outcomes
The APWG is expected to deliver:
- The MERA+15 Declaration updated to reflect the climate and socio-economic realities of 2025.
- A charter of demands and policy brief with concrete recommendations for the IYRP 2026, submitted to global bodies including FAO.
- Identification of women representatives to carry APWG messages into global IYRP and IYWF platforms during 2026.
- Strengthened coalitions to advance long-term advocacy for pastoralist women’s rights and land tenure security.
Programme Highlights
Journalists will have access to powerful visual and narrative moments throughout the four-day event:
- Inaugural Plenary: Rights and recognition of pastoralist women—past, present, and the road to IYRP 2026.
- Thematic Breakout Sessions: Land rights, climate justice, soil carbon markets, youth engagement, gender equity, and rangeland restoration.
- Pastoralist Women’s Parliament: A participatory democratic forum to finalize the MERA+15 Declaration.
- Cultural Exchange Night: “A Glimpse of the Nightlife of Pastorals in Gujarat.”
- Handloom & Food Festival: Showcasing pastoral women's crafts, traditional foods, and biodiversity-linked livelihoods.
Organizers and Key Partners
The APWG is convened by the IYRP 2026 Gender Working Group, in partnership with:
- Pastoral Women Alliance (lead host)
- SAPA (South Asia Pastoral Alliance)
- MARAG, IPCN, COLARP–Nepal, NAFSO–Sri Lanka, and other regional partners
- With expected support from government agencies, UN bodies (FAO, UNDP, UN Women), international NGOs, research institutions, and donor organizations
- Donor organizations such as GIZ, Aga Khan Foundation, and Azim Premji Foundation.
About the APWG
The Asian Pastoralists Women Gathering is a regional platform dedicated to amplifying the voices of pastoralist women, strengthening their leadership, and ensuring their participation in global governance processes. The 2025 gathering builds on 15 years of progress since the original MERA Declaration and aligns with global movements for gender equality, climate justice, and sustainable rangeland management.
About ILC
The International Land Coalition (ILC) is an independent global alliance of People’s Organisations, civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to put people at the centre of land governance. The shared goal of ILC’s over 300 members is to realise land governance for and with people at a country level, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land.
About MARAG
Maldhari Rural Action Group (MARAG) is a grassroots organization working since 1994 for the education, organization and empowerment of the communities who rely on Common Property Resources. These communities include Pastoralists, Dalits, Tribals, youth, women, children and other marginalized groups.
For more information, please contact
Bhavana Rabari (Gujarati, Hindi, English)
Program Manager, MARAG
bhavanarabari@gmail.com
Nina Sangma (English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Nepali)
Communications Coordinator, ILC Asia
n.sangma@landcoaliton.org