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The World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP) is a global alliance of nomadic peoples and communities practicing various forms of mobility as a livelihood strategy while conserving biological diversity and using natural resources in a sustainable way.

WAMIP is affiliated with CEESP and is currently hosted in CENESTA,
the Centre for Sustainable Development (Iran) http://www.cenesta.org/. CENESTA will offer secretariat support to the Alliance during its transition period.

New! WAMIP Congress 16-18 September 2007, Segovia, Spain

Vision of WAMIP

Mission of WAMIP

Membership Structure of WAMIP- Including Membership Forms

Definition of Terms

History of WAMIP

Reports and Documents

Articles and Publications

Links

Contact

Vision of WAMIP
WAMIP sees an ideal future in which:

• Mobility is recognised and appreciated as a strategy for both sustainable livelihoods and conservation of biological diversity
  
• Mobile indigenous peoples (MIPs) are in full solidarity among themselves and with other indigenous peoples
  
• The rights of mobile indigenous peoples to natural resources (as per the relevant United Nations Draft Declaration) are fully respected

In such a world, mobile indigenous peoples will enjoy broad social recognition and respect. Enabling legal and policy environments will allow them to determine priorities and strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of their lands, territories and other resources based on their own tenure systems and customary laws. They will be free to maintain and develop their distinct identities and cultural values, and to exercise strong cultural traditions and customs, including social organisation, distinctive juridical customs, and appropriate educational approaches. In addition, they will be free to maintain and develop contacts, relations, and cooperation with other peoples across international borders and, as needed, engage in peaceful resolution of conflict with other peoples and countries.

Mission of WAMIP
The mission of WAMIP is to assist and empower mobile indigenous peoples throughout the world to maintain their mobile lifestyles in pursuit of livelihoods and cultural identity, to sustainably manage their common property resources and to obtain the full respect of their rights.

Membership Structure of WAMIP

WAMIP’s membership is organised in a two-tiered system including First Category Members and Supporting Members.

First Category Members 

Members are “natural” groupings of mobile indigenous peoples (MIPs) and their sub-groupings, who fit the definition given above.  They agree to adhere to the mission and strategic approach of WAMIP, particularly to the principle of mobility in the use of natural resources through their customary leadership.  Where customary leadership is not an applicable concept, MIPs and their sub-groupings can adhere through their associations and organisations working with MIPs who are controlled by, and respectful of their values and interests as demonstrated by an appropriate process of legitimisation and accountability.  Thus, members include:

1. Natural/traditional/customary groupings of MIPs with a distinctive identity and name.  Examples of such groupings are peoples, nations (as applied to groupings of indigenous peoples), tribes, sub-tribes, clans, sub-clans and lineages, whether officially or customarily recognised;
2. Local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other associations/organisations formed, governed and directed by MIPs or explicitly authorised and delegated by (1) above as their legitimate representatives and directly accountable to them.

Roles for Members

Members are responsible for policy formulation and decision-making for WAMIP.  Members exercise this role directly through the General Assembly meetings or via electronic communication, or indirectly through the Coordinating Committee.  Members also contribute to the implementation of the programme of work of WAMIP.

If you are interested in becoming a First Category Member of WAMIP, please compete the form below and send it to the WAMIP Secretariat Aghaghia Rahimzadeh wamip@cenesta.org

• WAMIP Membership Form-English

• WAMIP Membership Form-Spanish

• WAMIP Membership Form-French

Supporting Members

Supporting membership is available to all interested individuals and organisations that explicitly adhere to the adopted definition of mobile indigenous peoples (MIPs) and the mission of WAMIP, have a work record on issues related to MIPs, but do not fulfil the criteria for full membership.  Thus, supporting membership includes:

• Individuals belonging to MIPs/communities;
• Professionals who are not MIPs themselves, but have particular concern, knowledge and work records about MIPs;
• NGOs involved in human rights, conservation or development work in areas of concern to MIPs;
• Foundations and donors interested in supporting MIPs;
• Any other relevant association, organisation, private or governmental body with a proven record of adhering to the mission of WAMIP (this excludes those bodies or individuals whose main interest or work is to sedentarise mobile peoples).

Roles for Supporting Members

Supporting Members will assist and collaborate with First Category Members, the Coordinating Committee, and the Secretariat in pursuit of the mission of WAMIP and the implementation of its programme of work. 

If you are interested in becoming a Supporting Member of WAMIP, please compete the form below and send it to the WAMIP Secretariat Aghaghia Rahimzadeh wamip@cenesta.org

• WAMIP Membership Form-Supporting Members-English

• WAMIP Membership Form-Supporting Members-Spanish

• WAMIP Membership Form-Supporting Members-French

Definition of Terms
Please note that by "indigenous" we refer to the ILO convention 169 http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/62.htm:
Indigenous Peoples are "Peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present State boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions".

Please note that the word "mobile" is based on the definition provided by the Dana Declaration http://www.danadeclaration.org/:

The term mobile peoples (i.e. pastoralists, hunter-gatherers, shifting agriculturalists and other peoples with dynamic regular changing patterns of land use) refers to a subset of indigenous and traditional peoples whose livelihoods depend on extensive common property use of natural resources over an area, who use mobility as a management strategy for dealing with sustainable use and conservation, and who possess a distinctive cultural identity and natural resource management system.

History of WAMIP
With the assistance of CEESP and TILCEPA, and financial support from UNDP, IIED, IUCN and the Dana Committee, 26 mobile peoples from four continents convened for the first time in in an international conservation forum during the 5th WPC in Durban, South Africa in September 2003. Participants took part in a preparatory pre-WPC workshop which led to a number of further workshops throughout the WPC. These meetings used the ideas expressed by the Dana Declaration (2002)
http://www.danadeclaration.org/ as a point of departure for their work, and prepared the ground for analyzing mobile peoples' common concerns and priorities and working together to find solutions for them. At the end of the WPC, the mobile peoples present founded the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP). The Alliance's vision is to establish solidarity among mobile peoples worldwide; enhance complementarity with other societies; promote just policies leading to freedom of movement and respect for their rights; maintain their livelihoods in balance with nature while making best use of their own mobility as a strategy to interact with the environment in a flexible and sustainable way.

With assistance from IUCN-CEESP, an Elder from the Kuhi sub-tribe of the Qashqai Nomadic Pastoralists of Iran attended the Congress. During the opening plenary, while representing all mobile indigenous peoples (MIPs), he delivered a very powerful and moving speech to the congress. This was the very first time mobile indigenous peoples gathered in an international forum where their voices were heard.

The main outcomes of the WPC for mobile peoples were consensus on key priority actions and the role of mobile peoples in biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and the relationship of mobile peoples to protected areas (PA) and conservation professionals. The discussions of mobile peoples at WPC resulted in inputs into the Durban Accord http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/wpc2003/pdfs/outputs/wpc/durbanaccord.pdf and Action Plan http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/wpc2003/pdfs/outputs/wpc/durbanactionplan.pdf, WPC recommendations on Mobile Indigenous Peoples http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/wpc2003/pdfs/outputs/recommendations/ approved/english/pdf/r27.pdf and the endorsement in principle of the Dana Declaration.

In February 2004 WAMIP members convene again at the 7th Conference of Parties (COP 7) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/cop-07/ . WAMIP participated at this meeting in addition to the 19th Session of the Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) http://www.gbf.ch/, which also took place in Kuala Lumpur prior to the COP 7. One of the topics of discussion at the GBF in Malaysia was "Mobile Peoples and Biodiversity Conservation" where WAMIP members discussed issues of landscape management and connectivity. Topics concerning mobile indigenous peoples' land, cultures, relationships with protected areas, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods were also debated.

In addition to WAMIP's participation at the GBF and the COP 7, WAMIP members held the Alliance's second general meeting. These meetings entailed discussing organizational issues, membership structure, and future of the Alliance. WAMIP members sought mechanisms with which to ensure implementation of effective international projects and strategies for the mobile indigenous peoples to be better-heard and respected in the conservation community. WAMIP is currently composing its bylaws, and seeking to register the Alliance as an international organization in Switzerland.

WAMIP at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress, Bangkok, November 2004

Members of the World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples organised a workshop titled "Mobility Livelihoods and Conservation" on Friday November 19, 2004 at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress in Bangkok.  For more information, please go to the WAMIP News and Activities page.

IUCN Resolution on Mobile Indigenous Peoples and Conservation

Resolution CGR3.RES068 Mobile Indigenous Peoples and Conservation

was submitted to the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress and approved with several amendments.  This resolution endorses the Dana Declaration and highlights the value of the recently created World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous Peoples (WAMIP).  It seeks to build on progress made at the World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa in September 2003 and at the meeting of the Convention of Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur in February 2004 where a political commitment was made “ to ensure necessary participation and equitable sharing of the benefits of protected areas, particularly with indigenous and mobile peoples, as well as local communities.”

For more information on WAMIP activities, please visit the WAMIP News and Activities page, or you may contract the WAMIP Secretariat focal point Aghaghia Rahimzadeh aghaghia@cenesta.org