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With nearly  80 events in over 50 countries, this year’s living map of restoration and resilience stretched across five continents—through seedling-lined schoolyards, packed football pitches and sunset-lit coastlines—bringing land back to life. In Parakou, Benin, pupils became “Forest Guards,” lining their schoolyard with rows of acacia and cheering for every watered sapling. In Garoua, Cameroon, high-schoolers pieced together a hidden-word “Sustainability Fresco,” pledging to swap single-use plastics for reusable bowls and bottles. In Lome, Togo, passion for sport sprouted hope when UNCCD Sport4Land Champion Naomi Akakpo led 200 teens on a “Race to Plant 2 028 Trees,” pausing just long enough to tuck each seedling into the soil—one tree for every Olympic year up to Los Angeles 2028. In Lagos, Nigeria fellow Champion William Troost-Ekong turned every goal of his charity match into funding for drought-resilient nurseries, greening both the pitch and the planet.  India brought a household twist: Land for Life laureate Shyam Sunder Jyani led a “Plastic-Free Kitchen” drive, replacing plastic tea strainers with metal or natural-fiber ones to keep microplastics out of the soil. From island coasts to arid heartlands, communities rallied to mark the day. Volunteers planted mangroves beside flamingo-filled lagoons in Mumbai while pop-up bands kept up the “fly-sustainable” rhythm.  Across the equator, Namibia’s students at the NamTip Winter School measured encroaching thornbush and brainstormed ways to bring grasslands back. In Mandalgovi, Mongolia’s Youth4Land Forum combined herding games with virtual-reality dunes, proving that traditional husbandry and tech savvy can share a learning space under the same felt roof. Europe and Asia stirred the senses. Praia, Cape Verde blended morna folk music with mangrove talks, while in France visitors to Paris’s Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil sipped fonio mocktails and sampled millet sauces, discovering how Sahelian drylands nourish both soil and palate. In Spain, Madrid’s Casa Árabe pulsed with poems celebrating the rebirth of the soil once lost to land degradation, and in Yinchuan, China’s national observance filled museums with hands-on displays of the Three-North Shelterbelt and desert-art workshops, inviting children to recite plant names in Mandarin, Arabic and English.  Near Los Angeles, USA volunteers at Arcadia Eco-home harvested compost by lamplight, following this year’s rallying call: “Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities.”  The theme echoed across cultures and continents—braiding science, tradition, and community into a single green thread of drought-resilient hope. 

The signs are everywhere: cracked earth, dry rivers, failed crops and families forced to abandon their land. What was once seen as a rare natural disaster has become a persistent and intensifying threat. Drought is no longer confined to distant deserts or erratic seasons. It is advancing—slowly, silently—across borders and climate zones, placing unprecedented stress on people and ecosystems alike. Since 2000, the frequency and intensity of droughts have risen by 29 per cent. More than 1.4 billion people have already been affected. Economically, drought can slash a country’s GDP by up to 10 per cent and drag down growth for years. By mid-century, as much as three-quarters of the global population could face its impacts. For millions, it means far more than dry weather—it means food insecurity, water shortages, price spikes and the erosion of homes and livelihoods. And yet, unlike earthquakes or floods, drought gives us one rare advantage: time. Time to anticipate, adapt and build resilience. The challenge is not only to recognize the warning signs, but to act before the emergency unfolds. That imperative brought a wide range of stakeholders to Cologne, Germany, for the Inaugural Conference of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership held on 23-24 June 2025. Over two days of discussion and collaboration, government representatives, UN entities, financing institutions and technical experts worked to transform political intent into practical momentum. “This partnership is not another global fund. It is not just a trust fund. It is not about reacting to drought when it's too late. It is about building integrated, national systems of resilience—rooted in transparency, equity and the voices of local communities. This is how we protect lives, livelihoods and ecosystems before the crisis hits,” said the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.  “If we wait until drought hits, it’s already too late. The cost—in human lives, in resources, in stability—is simply too high. This initiative is about shifting from reaction to resilience. It’s about building early warning systems, strengthening national drought plans, investing in risk mitigation and creating partnerships that are inclusive, science-based and focused on the communities most at risk. No one actor can do this alone—we need a collective, global response.” said H.E. Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, KSA.  Launched at UNCCD COP16 under the leadership of the host country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnershipwas established to help countries move beyond crisis response toward proactive drought risk reduction. At its core is the belief that resilience is not forged in crisis, but through long-term preparation—by enhancing early warning systems, adopting climate-smart agriculture, managing land and water sustainably and putting financial safeguards in place before disaster strikes. The Riyadh Partnership brings these elements together into a coordinated global framework. It offers countries access to technical assistance and funding through a dual financing model: pooled contributions to a multi-donor trust fund and direct bilateral support aligned with nationally identified priorities. The Partnership draws on existing alliances and tools, including the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the Integrated Drought Management Programme and regional initiatives such as the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI).  Moving from vision to action In Cologne, delegates reached consensus on the Riyadh Partnership's core governance structure and began outlining its operational roadmap. Financing featured prominently, with calls to mobilize diverse instruments and align efforts across existing initiatives. Key announcements included a one-billion-dollar commitment from the Islamic Development Bank for drought resilience projects by 2030, and an indication from the Global Environment Facility that its upcoming funding cycle will call for a greater focus on drought. The United Nations Capital Development Fund also proposed a de-risking mechanism to facilitate access to financing. Several partners—including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)—offered technical expertise, while others committed to strengthening synergies with frameworks such as IDRA and MGI to ensure national actions are reinforced by global coordination. Importantly, the first Steering Committee was successfully identified during the Conference, marking a critical milestone in establishing the Partnership’s long-term governance. The agreed governance structure includes a Steering Committee, Secretariat, Fund Trustee, Independent Review function and an Assembly of Partners. The UNCCD will host the Secretariat and the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office will act as Trustee. Work is now underway to finalize the Riyadh Partnership’s governance document—a foundational charter that will define roles, responsibilities and processes. This document, to be completed in the coming months, will reflect the Partnership’s inclusive, regionally representative and institutionally diverse approach. The conference concluded with broad agreement on a shared path forward. In the months ahead, work will focus on finalizing the Steering Committee, launching early flagship projects and putting in place practical financial delivery mechanisms for the most drought-prone countries.  “This is just the beginning,” said Louise Baker, Managing Director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism. “We’ve built strong momentum and now we move to implementation—bringing this partnership to life on the ground.” This energy will carry into UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia next year, where countries are expected to review initial progress, share lessons and formally integrate the Partnership into the Convention’s future work. What began in Riyadh as a bold pledge is now taking shape as a long-term platform for action—helping countries anticipate and withstand one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. 

From the Arctic tundra to the steppe, signs of soil fatigue, erosion and degradation are emerging — and with them, a warning: no region is immune. Land degradation is no longer a remote concern confined to arid zones — it has become a shared, urgent global crisis. Countries with vastly different climates, geographies and land use systems are now grappling with its impacts. The evolving understanding that land degradation transcends climate zones, with implications for food security, climate resilience and economic stability across continents, has placed the issue firmly on the global agenda. Recognizing this, the UNCCD — the only legally binding international agreement focused on land and soil — is prioritizing collaboration across regions and sectors to successfully address these challenges. Russia, once perceived as largely outside the desertification-prone zones, is now facing land degradation on multiple fronts. Although deserts make up only a small fraction of its vast territory, 85 per cent of the country’s primary agricultural production relies on just 7 per cent of the land — land that is now showing signs of vulnerability. In 2023 alone, 1.1 million hectares were officially recognized as disturbed, with the area expanding by 42,000 hectares each year. Industrial activity is the dominant factor, with agriculture contributing 18 per cent of the degradation. These realities were the backdrop to a recent roundtable at the UN House in Moscow, convened to reflect on the outcomes of UNCCD’s 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) and their relevance for Russia. Organized by the Nature and People Foundation — the first and only accredited Russian observer to the Convention — the meeting brought together stakeholders from government, academia, civil society and international organizations.  One of the roundtable’s core messages echoed a major takeaway from COP16: land degradation must be addressed across all ecosystems, including boreal and Arctic regions. Russian scientists noted that methodologies initially designed to assess desertification in drylands are now being effectively adapted to northern environments. This evolving approach reflects the latest science, which connects soil health, climate resilience, biodiversity and food security in a synergetic framework. Representing the UNCCD, the Chief of Science, Technology and Innovation Mr. Johns Muleso Kharika noted that “the shift from dealing exclusively with desertification and drought to addressing the silent crisis that is land degradation in all ecosystems demonstrates a strategic evolution in addressing the problem. The Convention engages a wide range of countries who face land degradation caused by deforestation, urban sprawl, soil erosion and other polluting factors,” he added, emphasizing the role of science as a key factor in shaping  future-facing solutions. Nikolay Doronin, First Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Public Chamber Commission on Ecology, highlighted that in 2023, 1.1 million hectares of land were classified as damaged— 0.06 per cent of Russia’s area, exceeding the size of Cyprus or Lebanon and comparable to Qatar. This area is growing by 42,000 hectares annually, with 18 per cent located in agricultural zones. New technologies — including satellite monitoring, advanced planting materials and biotech-based restoration techniques — are becoming essential tools. Russia’s scientific institutions are contributing to emerging approaches in land monitoring, classification and adaptive restoration. But the impact of these efforts depends on national coordination, investment and political will. Private sector engagement was another theme, with businesses urged to take greater responsibility for the lands they affect — particularly given that many degraded areas fall within or near industrial zones. The message was clear: land degradation is not someone else’s problem — and reversing it demands responsibility and action from all sectors. Looking ahead to COP17 in Mongolia, Russian organizations are already preparing new inputs — including scientific findings and policy recommendations — drawing on their experience in land monitoring, scientific exchange and cross-sectoral planning. The roundtable made it clear that land degradation is no longer seen as a fringe issue. As the Convention’s agenda continues to evolve and as land degradation increasingly transcends national and ecological boundaries, one conclusion stands out: desertification is no longer a localized issue — and Russia is bringing both long-standing commitment and fresh scientific insight to the table. Land degradation knows no borders. And neither should the solutions. For more about the meeting, follow this link. Photo (c): naturepeople.org

Three independent scientists will soon have the opportunity to contribute to shaping the future direction of the UNCCD through participation in the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Future Strategic Framework (IWG-FSF).This expert group, established by Decision 4/COP.16, will support the development of key elements for a post-2030 strategic framework. Its work will include a review of the current UNCCD goals and indicators, ensuring future efforts to combat desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) are informed by robust, science-based evidence and aligned with global sustainability processes.The IWG-FSF will comprise regional representatives and technical experts, including three independent scientists selected through an open call launched on 5 June 2025, following the approval of the group’s terms of reference. The selection will be based on criteria outlined in the approved terms. Please note that the earlier call issued on 19 May 2025 has been withdrawn. Interested applicants are requested to resubmit their applications.An interim report on the group’s progress is expected at CRIC 23 in December 2025.

The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be hosted by Mongolia in its capital city, Ulaanbaatar, from 17 to 28 August 2026.   This landmark global event will bring together delegates from 197 Parties, heads of state, ministers, representatives from international organizations, scientific communities, civil society and the private sector to forge solutions to the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.  Mongolia, with a vast territory of 1.56 million square kilometers, is experiencing land degradation across approximately 76.9 per cent of its land. Recognizing the critical role of land management in addressing the triple environmental crisis, the country has become a key voice in global efforts to combat desertification and enhance land resilience. Mongolia's ambitious development agendas—particularly its interconnected national movements on environment and agriculture—position the country as a strategic host for COP17 of the UNCCD. COP17 will be convened in alignment with the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), offering a crucial global opportunity to highlight sustainable rangeland management and the needs of more than one billion people who directly depend on these vital ecosystems for their livelihoods. During the two-week conference, participants will engage in a high-level segment that includes ministerial dialogues, along with multi-stakeholder forums and thematic discussions on science–policy integration, innovation, solutions, technology and financing. The event is expected to foster impactful collaboration and action across sectors, advancing the goals of sustainable land management, ecosystem and land restoration and the implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets. To build momentum toward COP17 and increase public awareness and youth engagement, Mongolia has already launched a series of national initiatives. One key upcoming event is the “Youth4Land” national forum, scheduled for 16–17 June 2025 in Mandalgovi city, Dundgovi Province, in observance of Desertification and Drought Day. This forum will bring together over 100 young herders, researchers and policymakers to co-develop sustainable land solutions rooted in traditional knowledge and scientific evidence. This national initiative is part of the country’s efforts to implement outcomes from previous UNCCD COPs and promote inclusive participation. Mongolia's strong development and environmental agenda — including the national 'Billions of Trees' movement, the 'White Gold' community-based rural development initiative and the 'Food Revolution' agri-soil initiative — positions the country as a regional and global model of action. Hosting COP17 will provide a historic opportunity to elevate international cooperation on land, climate and biodiversity to a new level.  This pivotal conference will mark a significant step forward in uniting the world around solutions to land degradation and climate challenges, solidifying Mongolia’s contribution to building a sustainable and resilient future for all. For more information, please contact: UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int,  https://www.unccd.int, @unccd Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia: https://www.mecc.gov.mn About UNCCD  The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international agreement on good land stewardship. It helps people, communities and countries create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food, clean water and energy by ensuring land users an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the Convention’s 197 parties set up robust systems to manage drought promptly and effectively. Good land stewardship based on sound policy and science helps integrate and accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, builds resilience to climate change and prevents biodiversity loss.  https://unccd.int About the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists  On the initiative of Mongolia, the United Nations General Assembly has designated 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026) to enhance rangeland management and the lives of pastoralists. With this declaration, UN Member States are called upon to invest in sustainable rangeland management, to restore degraded lands, to improve market access by pastoralists, to enhance livestock extension services and to fill knowledge gaps on rangelands and pastoralism. The IYRP 2026 will coincide with the UNCCD COP17 to be hosted by Mongolia.  https://iyrp.info  

The United Nations Secretary-General, following consultation with the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), announced the appointment of Yasmine Fouad of Egypt as the next Executive Secretary of the UNCCD.  Serving as Minister of Environment of Egypt since 2018, Yasmine Fouad is an expert in environmental diplomacy with over 25 years of experience in environmental governance, global environmental themes and international climate diplomacy. She has a proven track record in designing and implementing institutional and systemic reforms for sustainable development. She holds a Ph.D. in Euro-Mediterranean Studies, Cairo University, and an M.Sc. in Environmental Science, Ain Shams University. She is fluent in English and Arabic.Welcoming the announcement made yesterday in New York, UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said: “Yasmine Fouad brings with her a wealth of experience and deep commitment to the environment and sustainable development. I warmly congratulate her on her appointment and have full confidence that she will bring new energy and vision to the role.”Ms. Fouad will be the fifth UNCCD Executive Secretary, succeeding Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania, Ms. Monique Barbut of France, Mr. Luc Gnacadja of Benin and Mr. Hama Arba Diallo of Burkina Faso. The Secretary-General expressed his deep gratitude to Mr. Thiaw "for his dedicated service and outstanding commitment to the Organization".Ms. Fouad will commence her first three-year term in office later this year.