West and Central Africa: United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and United Nations Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) pool their efforts to strengthen peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders and ensure the sustainable management of transhumance

The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and for Central Africa (UNOCA) organized a workshop on strengthening peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders and the proper management of transhumance from 26 to 27 February 2025 in Dakar. More than thirty participants from several countries in these two sub-regions, including members of civil society organizations, as well as representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Climate Commission for the Sahel region, NORCAP,  United Nations and technical and financial partners, took part in the workshop.

At the opening ceremony, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of UNOWAS, Leonardo Santos Simão, recalled the importance of the workshop, stressing that it “presents a unique opportunity for us to reflect on and tackle one of the most critical challenges of our time: fostering peaceful coexistence, sustainable livelihoods, and shared prosperity between farmers and herders.” He added that “Transboundary transhumance poses significant governance challenges, particularly when land tenure systems and regulatory frameworks are not well-structured. If not properly managed, these tensions can escalate into broader security threats, affecting social cohesion and regional stability.”

The discussions highlighted the complexity and interdependence of the interactions between herders and farmers, while highlighting the multiple factors that influence these dynamics in West and Central Africa. Participants also addressed key issues such as competition for access to natural resources (land, water, pasture), seasonal livestock migrations, and rural land management policies, which shape not only these interactions, but also regional governance.

The exchanges led to the development of a work plan of the Community of Practice on Farmer-Pastoralist Dynamics in West and Central Africa was adopted. This plan precisely defines the objectives of the “Community” as well as the main thematic axes to be explored. It also includes priority actions, specific activities, an implementation timeline, the partners involved, as well as monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

In addition, the participants made recommendations to promote peaceful cohabitation between farmers and herders, and to prevent conflicts related to access to resources and the mobility of livestock. They advocated, among other things, for a harmonization of ECOWAS and ECCAS approaches, with a focus on strategic priorities such as the development of resilient agriculture, economic diversification, geopolitical dynamics and sustainable financing. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).