Kampala, Uganda | 6–7 November 2025—The Coalition of Pastoralist Civil Society Organisations (COPACSO) successfully convened a high-impact Media Engagement Workshop, strategically gathering influential journalists from major national media houses. The intensive two-day event, held in Kampala, was meticulously designed by COPACSO to address and correct entrenched, negative misconceptions about pastoralism and to decisively integrate traditional land use practices into Uganda’s overarching Green Transition agenda. By directly engaging media gatekeepers and editors, COPACSO aimed to transform the national narrative from one often focused on conflict and poverty to one that highlights the sector’s profound economic contribution and ecological resilience.
COPACSO’s methodological approach was comprehensive, combining expert briefings, such as the foundational session on “Pastoralism 101,” with practical, collaborative story development sessions. A critical finding championed by COPACSO centered on the urgent need for the government to redefine the sector’s economic value.
Participants achieved a clear consensus that current national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures grossly underestimate the true, holistic worth of pastoralism, a value that would be significantly higher if calculated using the more comprehensive Gross National Product (GNP) approach. The dialogue successfully challenged the historical media bias, shifting the focus towards evidence-based reporting, policy analysis, and covering the entire resilient livestock value chain.
A concrete and measurable outcome of COPACSO’s leadership was the generation and commitment to 17 solution-oriented story ideas by the participating journalists, focused specifically on pastoralist resilience, innovation, and verifiable economic contributions. To guarantee the sustained impact of this crucial narrative shift, COPACSO secured the commitment to establish a robust Multi-Stakeholder Working Group.
This mechanism, which will include COPACSO, media partners, and the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), is mandated to coordinate quarterly follow-up, monitor the implementation of recommendations, and ensure continuous dialogue. This landmark workshop affirms COPACSO’s decisive commitment to evidence-based advocacy, successfully creating a new and necessary foundation for a factual and positive national media discourse on pastoralism.
