Adopted in Madrid following a global gathering of young pastoralists from Africa, the Arctic, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas, this declaration sets out 23 demands structured around governance, land and commons, climate justice, cultural knowledge, and livelihoods. Developed within the framework of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), the document calls for formal representation of young pastoralists in decision-making spaces, legal recognition of pastoral mobility, and respect for free, prior, and informed consent for projects affecting pastoral territories.

It also advocates for direct access to climate finance, the protection of pastoral knowledge, expanded health, insurance, and social protection systems, and the prevention of monoculture, extractive, or carbon offset projects that may restrict access to resources. Certain carbon offset mechanisms are strongly criticized when they result in loss of control over pastoral lands or limit community uses. The document calls for avoiding or rejecting projects that restrict access to rangelands, fragment territories, or displace pastoral communities.

At the international level, signatories seek to engage in United Nations forums related to climate, biodiversity, land, and food systems. The declaration explicitly references the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralism 2026 as a lever for political visibility, as well as dialogue spaces within the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, particularly the committee on livestock and pastoral systems under the Committee on Agriculture (COAG).

Finally, the declaration calls for participation in climate governance mechanisms, targeting the implementation frameworks of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the arenas where mitigation and adaptation policies are decided.