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<p>Dear ISG members:<br>
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<p>The postponement of the Joint IRC/IGC Congress to October 2021 has given us the opportunity to rethink and improve the Session on the IYRP. Originally the expected outcome was to raise awareness about the upcoming IYRP, and to encourage congress attendees
to engage with the future IYRP. But with more time to prepare, we feel that we can do much more.
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<p>We now have approval from the Congress Committee to organize three 90-minute Panel Sessions at the Congress on the IYRP (not only one), and they will be consecutive. We therefore believe that this will allow a more in-depth discussion, region by region,
of the need for a) greater awareness raising on rangelands and pastoralists, and b) the need for stronger and more relevant evidence-based knowledge and research.
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<p>While these two objectives of the IYRP Panel remain the same, we would like to end the Congress with a commitment from members and participants on three outcomes:
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<p>a) a commitment to establish Multi-stakeholder National Committees in support of the IYRP
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<p>b) a commitment to draft Actions Plans that would propel and organize activities to be undertaken both in preparation of and during the IYRP
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<p>c) one or two Resolutions formally endorsed by the Congress in support of the above.
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<p>Your involvement in achieving these outcomes will be indispensible. </p>
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<p>We propose that, in the coming months, a series of preparatory virtual meetings would be organized region by region involving three sets of folks: the IRC Continuing Committee (CC) regional members, the IGC CC regional members, and the IYRP’s International
Support Group (ISG) members. </p>
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<p>These regional preparatory meetings could: </p>
<p>· consider what it would take to establish National Committees and Action Plans in their region and the challenges that would need to be overcome before the Congress and after
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<p>· consider the appropriate institutional design for the National Committees (membership, roles and responsibilities, TOR, etc.)
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<p>· based on the IYRP Panelists papers for the Congress, identify priority themes and issues that are linked to the global 12-monthly themes of the IYRP, and priority research and knowledge gaps in the region
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<p>· select types of IYRP actions that could be undertaken, such as conferences, fairs, publications, media outreach, etc.
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<p>More details need to be worked out with your help in the coming months, such as how to engage the Congress participants, what to present at the Panel Sessions and how, and developing/revising draft resolutions for the Congress to adopt.
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<p>We look forward to having your agreement and support for this new direction, and will be back in touch soon with more details on the first virtual preparatory meeting for your region.
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<p>This same message has gone out to the Continuing Committees of both IRC and IGC.</p>
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<p>Cheers! Jim O'Rourke<br>
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