Programme

Over the course of two weeks, UNCCD COP17 will bring together governments and a wide range of stakeholders to advance action on land restoration, drought resilience, water, rangelands and food systems.

The High-Level Segment will take place during the second week of the COP, starting with a Heads of State Summit that will be organized by the Government of Mongolia on 23 August. The ministerial segment will follow, including ministerial dialogues and high-level special events. To help focus discussions and mobilize action, COP17 will feature thematic days dedicated to key priorities on the global land and drought agenda. These will bridge political decisions with real-world solutions, making everyone part of a powerful Action Agenda to advance land restoration and drought resilience:

• Finance (24 August): Restoring land at scale requires around one billion US dollars per day, but current funding falls far short. Finance Day will bring together ministers of finance, development banks and the private sector to help close this gap and unlock large-scale investment.
• Water (25 August): By 2050, three out of four people worldwide are projected to face drought. Water Day will advance proactive drought risk management and strengthen cooperation on the integrated management of water resources.
• Land and People (26 August): Rangelands support the livelihoods of some 500 million people, but remain among the most undervalued ecosystems globally. Land and People Day will place the voices of land stewards at the heart of discussions, highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, pastoralists, youth, women and civil society organizations.
• Food Systems and Soil Health (27 August): By 2050, the world will need to produce at least 50 per cent more food, even as food systems remain the leading driver of land degradation globally. Food Systems and Soil Health Day will connect soil restoration to food security, agricultural productivity and the livelihoods of farming communities.

The COP programme will include the following events:

• Ministerial Dialogue on innovative financial mechanisms for healthy land and drought resilience
• Business4Land Forum
• Ministerial Dialogue on accelerating drought resilience
• Special High-Level Event on sand and dust storms
• Ministerial Dialogue on the restoration of rangelands and the well-being of pastoralist communities
• Youth Forum
• Gender Caucus
• Special Event on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Caucus
• Special Ministerial and High-Level Event on food systems and soil health

These events will take place as part of the ambitious Riyadh–Ulaanbaatar Action Agenda for COP17, conceived as a platform to accelerate action and showcase solutions and innovations in finance, policy, coalitions, partnerships, technologies and value chains to restore degraded land, manage and protect water, proactively manage drought, support food security and build resilient economies and societies. 

They will bring together political leaders, country delegates, representatives of financial institutions, CEOs, mayors, academia, civil society organizations, parliamentarians and Indigenous and local communities, while aligning with multi-stakeholder fora and thematic discussions on science-policy integration and practical solutions, including untapped financial mechanisms to build drought resilience. Together, these programme elements will connect policy discussions with practical delivery, translating commitments into action on the ground, with a particular focus on the restoration of soils, agricultural lands and rangelands.