Mountain Alliance for Pastoralists & Minority People

Progress of Preparatory Workshops

Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on
Rangelands, Transhumance and Pastoralism

14 November 2025 | Tetovo, North Macedonia

As part of Pre-Gathering preparatory activities, we organized Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Rangelands, Transhumance and Pastoralism (1 day) with the partnership and leadership of local organizations organization in Western Balkan countries/ zones.

This 1-day Workshop considered an agenda for discussions:

• Importance and Challenges of Pastoralism and Shepherds Globally
• Transhumance, Pastoralism and Landscapes in Balkan country/zone
• Plan of Regional Gathering (April 2026), and Constitution of National/Zonal Organizing Committee
• How to prepare for Regional Gathering: inviting collaborations; arranging logistics; mobilizing stakeholders; mobilizing shepherd participants; promotion through media and social media; volunteering etc.

The participants invited in the Workshop were: municipalities, agriculture department, regional authority, local NGOs, citizen groups, shepherd associations/groups, chamber of agriculture commerce, business groups dealing in animal products, academic/research institutions, local colleges, local school administration, and others.

Due to certain unseen events that took place, this workshop could not take a formal shape. Dr. Merije Elezi, however, welcomed for the informal interactions and discussions. On 14 November, a series of discussions were done on varied topics including the situations of the pastoralists and their livestock in Albia bordering mountains of North Macedonia. Dr. Merije would take further the IYRP initiative in the mountainous territories through inviting and involving different stakeholders in the region. Next round of discussions will bring numerous other stakeholders to begin the preparations for gathering of pastoralists in the region.

Main Contact

Dr. Hasrat Arjjumend, President, The Grassroots Institute, Canada / Western Balkans
Email: president@grassrootsinstitute.net
Web: https://grassrootsinstitute.net/rangelands-initiative.html

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

• Merije Elezi, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Tetova, North Macedonia
• Hasrat Arjjumend, President, The Grassroots Institute, Canada
• Martine Wolff, IYRP Albania, Albania

PHOTOS