The European Committee of the Regions, with the support of Euromontana, the Yolda Initiative and the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) Regional Support Group for Europe, held the conference “Pastoralism: a crucial way to tackle sustainability challenges in EU and beyond“ in June. At the event, the participants identified the challenges that pastoralism faces but also highlighted its important contributions to the three pillars of sustainability.