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COP7 UNCCD - Side Event: The Pastoralist Manyatta;
October 19-2, 2005; Nairobi

The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism – a joint initiative of UNDP and IUCN – organized a side event at the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties of UNCCD
– the Pastoralist Manyatta. The Pastoralist Manyatta took place from the 19th to the 21st
of October in Nairobi, Kenya.
Please click here for the Press Release.

The Pastoralist Manyatta was a forum for community voices and perspectives to be incorporated into the larger policy dialogue both within UNCCD and more widely. It also provided a context to move towards new partnerships and networks for the sustainable development and management of drylands.

Objectives
To provide a forum for at least 100 community representatives to

		Celebrate success – by showcasing best practice, cultural events and exchanges, innovative technologies etc.;
		Share knowledge – By presenting local initiatives and exploring how other communities might learn from and apply lessons learnt, and ensuring that the messages of the community leaders are communicated effectively and clearly; and
		Inform policy – By identifying the key factors that have enabled local success and articulate this in the form of policy, and helping ensure that the community voice gains recognition at the formal deliberations.

Key Outputs and Features

The Pastoralist Manyatta provided the following key features:

		Space for promoting community level dialogue on the critical challenges facing pastoralism and dryland use;
		Knowledge market place where groups shared and discussed their own practices and lessons and exchanged information of improved and more sustainable use of natural resources, improved economic flows and market flows, measuring economic benefits from pastoralism as an advocacy tool, etc.;
		Exhibition space (limited) for community groups to share their experience.

The Pastoralist Manyatta, in promoting and supporting community voices, explored key themes that are of direct relevance to the UNCCD including:

1.		MDGs – How pastoralism and dryland use contributes to the achievement of the MDGs and the improved and sustainable use of the drylands;
2.		Capacity building – Enabled pastoralists and others users of drylands share with, and learn from each other about the management and sustainable use of drylands, for example in the processing and marketing of dryland products, natural resource and environmental management, trade and economic development;
3.		Partnerships and participation – Promoted various types of partnerships aiming to enhance the sharing of lessons and best practice, as a means to influence policy, and further joint action to resolve specific dryland problems;