International Colloquium on Transhumance: N’Djamena Reaffirms Commitment to Peaceful and Sustainable Pastoral Governance

Under the banner of dialogue and cooperation, the event brought together governments, regional organizations, and technical and financial partners to renew their commitment to peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable management of pastoral mobility.

A strengthened regional dialogue framework

Organized by the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP/PFBC) with the support of the PETRADEP/GIZ project, the colloquium gathered delegations from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and other neighboring countries.
Building on the 2019 N’Djamena Declaration, the meeting provided a platform to review progress, share experiences, and chart new pathways for cross-border collaboration.

Four strategic priorities on the agenda

Discussions were structured around key themes:

• the preservation of protected areas and fragile ecosystems,
• the consolidation of peace and security,
• the promotion of the pastoral economy, which sustains millions of households,
• and the integration of transhumance into sustainable development strategies.

These deliberations highlighted innovative approaches already being implemented in the region and underscored the value of collective action.

Shared commitments and recommendations

At the conclusion of the colloquium, participants reaffirmed:

• their determination to strengthen cross-border cooperation,
• the importance of conflict prevention and mediation mechanisms to address tensions linked to pastoral mobility,
• the need to mobilize resources for infrastructure such as water points, veterinary centers, and livestock markets,
• and the relevance of an integrated approach that balances economic, social, security, and environmental dimensions.

These outcomes will serve as the foundation for more ambitious regional action plans in the years ahead.

A strong signal for the future

By bringing policymakers, experts, regional institutions, and partners around the same table, the N’Djamena colloquium marked an important milestone in the search for lasting solutions.
It reaffirmed a shared conviction: far from being a source of fragility, pastoral transhumance can become a driver of cohesion, resilience, and shared prosperity when managed inclusively and collectively.