<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear Maryam,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thanks for the call for nominations for co-chair of the IYRP GCG. Sorry that I sent my nomination of Igshaan before the call had officially been sent around. Here now is my nomination again - this time “officially”.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Cheers,</div><div class="">Ann</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:8.0pt"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3"><span class="">Dear Maryam, </span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:8.0pt"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3"><span class="">I would like to nominate
<b class=""><i class="">Dr Igshaan Samuels from South Africa</i></b> as your co-chair.</span><o:p class=""></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:8.0pt"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3"><span class="">Igshaan is a researcher
on rangeland ecology and management for the Agricultural Research Council (ARC)
in South Africa. He holds a PhD in Botany from the University of Cape Town and
has worked in arid agricultural landscapes for 19 years. His research puts him
in touch with grassroots activities and the challenges of pastoralists,
particularly the indigenous Nama peoples of South Africa. He is the current
president of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa (GSSA), having served in
this position and other GSSA portfolios previously. He is also on the
International Rangeland Congress (IRC) Continuing Committee representing Africa
south of the Sahara. Furthermore, he is part of the core leadership team of the
IYRP RISG for Eastern and Southern Africa and a member of the IYRP GCG. He has
been involved in policy development at both local and national level in South
Africa and is currently leading the development of the country’s rangeland
management strategy. </span><o:p class=""></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3">I have been working closely
with Igshaan during the awareness-raising and advocacy activities leading up to
the approval of the IYRP 2026. He has devoted a great deal of time to these
activities and has been utterly reliable when we
agreed on shared tasks. I can assure you 100%, Maryam: you will be able to depend
on Igshaan in sharing the co-chair tasks!<o:p class=""></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3">I asked Igshaan about his
willingness to take on the co-chair position. He discussed it with his family
and with his manager in ARC, as he is aware that the tasks will take some time
away from his other professional duties and his personal life. All have
supported the idea that he take on the co-chair position. He has therefore
agreed to accept this nomination.<o:p class=""></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3">In my view, he would
provide a perfect balance for you, Maryam, in co-chairing the GCG.<o:p class=""></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" class="" color="#0433ff" size="3">Cheers,<o:p class=""></o:p></font></p>
<!--EndFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt;mso-line-height-alt:11.75pt"><span class=""><font color="#0433ff" face="Calibri" size="3" class="">Ann</font></span></p><font color="#0433ff" class=""><br class=""></font><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">Dr Ann Waters-Bayer</i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">Agrecol Association for AgriCulture & Ecology</i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP)</i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">International Year of Rangelands & Pastoralists (IYRP2026) Global Coordination Group</i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">E: <a href="mailto:waters-bayer@web.de" class="">waters-bayer@web.de</a> / <a href="mailto:waters-bayer@agrecol.de" class="">waters-bayer@agrecol.de</a></i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">S: ann-waters</i></font></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><font size="1" class="" color="#0433ff"><i class="">W: <a href="http://www.agrecol.de/" class="">www.agrecol.de</a> / <a href="http://www.celep.info/" class="">www.celep.info</a> / <a href="http://www.iyrp.info/" class="">www.iyrp.info</a></i></font></div></div></div></div></div>
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