News & stories

Mongolia launches a national Business4Land Hub and sets a 10 per cent green lending target New finance backs rangelands and drought resilience across 23 countries on five continents Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 24 August 2026 — Governments, development banks, funds and companies meeting at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) have announced US$1.3 billion in new and pipeline finance for land restoration and drought resilience, spanning commitments in 23 countries across five continents. At the centre of the new finance is a major push on rangelands — an issue of particular importance to host country Mongolia. The Rangelands Flagship Initiative, currently valued at US$1.2 billion across 45 named projects, was launched in Ulaanbaatar during the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026, a designation championed by Mongolia. It is the largest single mobilisation for rangelands in the Convention's history. Of the finance announced at COP17, US$644.5 million is currently identified as new finance, with US$216.4 million already confirmed and moving towards implementation.  Mongolia's domestic finance agenda Mongolia came to COP17 with a series of measures aimed at bringing more domestic finance into land restoration. These include sector-wide sustainable finance principles, a national green taxonomy, and a target of 10 per cent green lending by 2030. Mongolia also launched a national Business4Land (B4L) Hub, bringing the Convention's private-sector platform to the country level for the first time. Russia followed with a hub of its own, while Luxembourg moved to establish a Business4Land Foundation and Germany funded the B4L Finance Expert Group. Rangelands: a flagship that arrived with a portfolio Rangelands cover more than half of the world's land surface and support the livelihoods of around two billion people, including some 500 million pastoralists. Yet up to half of these ecosystems are degraded or at risk, making investment in their restoration critical for food security, livelihoods and drought resilience. The economic case for that investment is significant. Rangelands generate benefits estimated at US$21–47 trillion a year, including through food production, water, carbon storage and biodiversity. Restoring rangelands typically returns US$4–6 for every dollar invested — and, when wider public benefits such as water supply are included, returns can reach as high as US$36 for every dollar invested. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) supports coordination of the Rangelands Flagship Initiative through a US$3.3 million investment in the UNCCD COP17 Legacy Project. Over the past four years, GEF has also approved more than 50 projects worth over US$300 million supporting sustainable rangeland management and restoration, as well as pastoralist livelihoods.  The Asian Development Bank put US$113 million behind the Green Inclusive Regional Agribusiness Fund, while the Green Climate Fund backed two projects in Botswana and Mongolia and TWENDE in Kenya with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).The Adaptation Fund committed US$9.1 million to locally led adaptation with Indigenous Peoples and local communities across Africa, while the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) backed Forests4Future (US$76 million) and three further programmes across Southern Africa. Peace Parks Foundation and Conservation International brought Herding for Health (US$35 million), while the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) brought the STELARR Investment Hub (US$22 million). Twelve of the projects are delivered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), six with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and three with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) — showing how the UN system and development partners are beginning to converge around a common implementation agenda for rangelands. The significance of the Flagship is therefore not only its financial value. It is the emergence of an investment pipeline around ecosystems that have historically been under-recognized and underinvested, despite their importance to food systems, livelihoodsand resilience. “Land is not simply an environmental issue — it is economic infrastructure. It underpins food, water, jobs and stability, and when land fails, the costs are felt across economies and communities. What we are seeing in Ulaanbaatar is a shift from talking about the financing gap to building the pathways that can move investment into implementation, from stronger project pipelines and de-risking instruments to public-private partnerships. Ultimately, this finance will be judged by whether it reaches the people and landscapes that need it.” — Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD “Rangelands are vital ecosystems, yet they have long been underfunded. Through the new UNCCD COP17 Legacy Project and other projects that are joining the Rangeland Flagship Initiative, the GEF is supporting the implementation of successful rangelands management and restoration at scale by combining our investments with strong partnerships.” — Chizuru Aoki, Head of the Multilateral Environmental Conventions and Funds Division of the Global Environmental Facility Development banks step up — and land moves towards its own investment category The Ministerial Dialogue on innovative financial mechanisms brought together high-level representatives of the World Bank Group, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, GEF and Green Climate Fund to advance finance for land restoration and drought resilience. Country Parties and development banks highlighted the need to make investment in land, soil health and drought resilience more visible and trackable within existing nature finance categories — based on a simple principle: what is measured is more likely to attract investment. There was broad support for scaling guarantees, first-loss capital and index-based insurance. The need is particularly acute in Africa, where only 3 per cent of smallholders have agricultural insurance, compared with 20 per cent elsewhere in the developing world. Participants also backed project preparation facilities to build a pipeline of investment-ready projects, particularly in least developed countries and fragile contexts, and called for simpler access to multilateral funds. Other options discussed included debt-for-nature swaps, nature-performance bonds, sustainability-linked bonds and country platforms. The discussions were backed by concrete financial commitments. At the African Union High-Level Event, the African Development Bank committed US$100 million to the Zambezi River Basin programme, spanning eight countries, alongside the Southern Africa Great Green Wall Accelerator — both confirmed, with board approval pathways already defined. Further finance commitments Luxembourg committed €5 million in catalytic first-loss capital to the Drought Resilience Investment Facility, Spain €5 million to the second phase of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), and Germany a further €11 million to CompensActions. The Korea Forest Service, UNDP and the Global Mechanism opened the Greening Drylands Partnership call for proposals, channeling US$2.4 million in small grants directly to community implementers. Business: from concept to country presence Private sector finance currently accounts for only around 6 per cent of global investment in land restoration. The B4L Hubs launched in Ulaanbaatar aims to help close that gap at national level, complementing global efforts to mobilize private investment. The challenge is not simply to ask businesses to invest more. It is to create the conditions that allow investment to move into land restoration at scale, including stronger project pipelines, credible data, clearer policy signals, and mechanisms that help manage early-stage risk. The launch of national Business4Land Hubs marks an important step in bringing that architecture closer to where investment decisions are made. Mongolia established the first national B4L Hub, followed by Russia, while Luxembourg moved to establish a Business4Land Foundation and Germany supported the B4L Finance Expert Group. Together, these initiatives are designed to connect national priorities, companies, financial institutions, and investment opportunities more directly. “Six per cent is not a rounding error; it is a verdict on how regenerative landscapes have been packaged for investors. Business does not lack appetite for resilient supply chains, secure water and productive soil – it lacks bankable projects, credible data and a fair share of the early risk.  That's why businesses are calling for more coherent policy frameworks, stronger public-private collaboration and investment conditions that enable regenerative landscapes to be scaled. First-loss capital, national Business for Land Hubs and a Business4Land Foundation will start to fix this. This is not charity – it is balance-sheet risk that business has every reason to tackle.” — Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) The investment case Ministers agreed that the scale of the financing challenge cannot be met through grants alone, particularly at a time when official development assistance contracted by 23.1 per cent in 2025 and roughly half of low-income countries are in or at high risk of debt distress. The scale of the gap remains enormous. The UNCCD financial needs assessment estimates that US$355 billion a year is needed through 2030 to meet global land restoration commitments, compared with current investment of US$77 billion — an annual shortfall of US$278 billion. The cost of inaction is estimated at US$878 billion a year, while investing in healthy land could generate benefits of up to US$1.8 trillion annually. Closing that gap will also require governments to look beyond traditional development finance, including through tax relief for restoration, payments for ecosystem services and the repurposing of environmentally harmful subsidies, of which some US$2.4 trillion is public. Separately, the FIELD facility set out an intention to catalyse a further US$2 billion in land restoration finance across Asia and the Pacific. As this is a financing ambition rather than committed funding, it is not included in the totals above. Notes to editors For media enquiries and interview requests UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int For more information about the GEF announcement:  New GEF initiative will support UNCCD to strengthen drylands and drought resilience . Media resources COP17 programme  UNCCD COP17 website   Host country website    UN WebTV – Live broadcast of key plenary sessions with live interpretation in all six UN languages   Audiovisual material will be available for download here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/94683648@N07/albums/ UNCCD COP17 Visual Assets and Branding Resources   Earth Negotiations Bulletin (daily coverage, photographs and analysis)   Follow @UNCCD on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Primary hashtag: #COP17Mongolia Additional hashtags: #UNCCDCOP17, #UNited4Land About UNCCD    The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 Parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner. 

Rangelands Rising, launched at UNCCD COP17, calls on investors and governments to recognize the world’s largest overlooked landscape and to back the 500 million pastoralists who sustain it Ulaanbaatar, 24 August 2026 — Rangelands cover more than half the planet's land surface, hold a third of its key biodiversity areas and generate benefits worth an estimated US$21–47 trillion a year (up to US$5,000 per hectare). Yet these landscapes remain almost invisible to the people who finance and govern the natural world. A new global report launched today at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) makes the economic case for investing in rangelands and recognizes the labor and stewardship of the 500 million pastoralists who manage them. Rangelands Rising: Investing in Sustainable Management and Restoration—published by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), GIZ, the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative, UNCCD and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—overturns a century-old assumption. Mobile livestock herding has long been blamed for driving land degradation. Research increasingly demonstrates that many rangelands have evolved with grazing and that well-managed pastoral systems have created and maintained some of the world's most biodiverse landscapes. Yet that stewardship is under growing strain, as drought intensifies and grazing land is lost to crop expansion, urban encroachment and fragmentation. “For too long, the world has looked at rangelands and seen empty, degraded land, and looked at pastoralists and seen a problem to be fixed,” said Prof. Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General, ILRI. “The evidence tells a different story. These are among the most valuable landscapes on Earth, and the people who manage them are their frontline investors.” Far from being the wasteland they are often taken for, rangelands are a mainstay of the food supply, producing high-value animal protein — meat, milk and more — from land that could not support crops without heavy and costly inputs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, pastoralism contributes an estimated 5–10 per cent of national GDP and accounts for 15–40 per cent of the value added in agriculture. But their full worth — in water, carbon, biodiversity and protection against drought — stays invisible to markets. The cost of that neglect is steep. Land degradation drains trillions of dollars a year in lost services, while restoring rangelands typically returns US$4–6 for every dollar invested, and, where public benefits such as water supply are counted, as much as 36 to one. The report's most striking economic finding is a mismatch between who does the work and who captures the value. In Jordan, reviving a traditional practice of resting grazing land returned just US$0.80 for every dollar the herders themselves spent. But the return to Jordanian society as a whole was 18 to one, driven mainly by groundwater recharge. It is a vivid illustration of the report's central argument. Pastoralists are already the primary investors in rangelands, putting in labour, knowledge, livestock and generations of stewardship, yet they cannot capture the value they create for everyone else. Public investment is needed to reward that stewardship and unlock the private capital that follows. “We are not asking for rangelands to be treated as a special case. We are asking for them to be counted. A landscape worth up to US$47 trillion a year cannot remain a blank space on the investment map,” Jonathan Davies, co-author of the report and independent rangelands researcher. For governments, the report also reframes a familiar budget line. Drought response is overwhelmingly reactive, with aid typically arriving well into a crisis, after families have already started to lose their animals. The bill can be enormous: drought relief reached an estimated 7 per cent of national GDP in Niger during the 2021 crisis. Yet, one evaluation cited in the report found that every US$1 spent on timely support is worth an estimated US$3 in later humanitarian spending. The report's central call to funders and finance ministries is to shift from paying for disasters to investing in resilient rangeland management before they strike. The report also guides where money should go, noting that the strongest returns come not from the most degraded land, but from restoring lightly to moderately degraded rangelands. Restoring the latter can cost as little as US$20 per hectare, against more than US$70,000 for severely degraded land. It also cautions against “green” fixes — planting trees on natural grassland, or ploughing drylands for crops — that often damage ecosystems adapted to open grazing. For most drylands, the smartest investment works with the pastoral systems already there rather than replacing them. But money alone is not the answer. The report is clear that financial investment on its own often fails without the conditions that let it work: secure land rights, strong community institutions and inclusive governance. Where tenure is contested or pastoralists are shut out of decisions, restoration funding may go to waste. Where rights are secure and communities lead, it endures. Getting the governance right, the report argues, is as important as the finance itself. “Rangelands are not marginal landscapes. They cover more than half of the world’s land and are fundamental to food security, biodiversity, water security and resilience to drought,” said Dr. Barron Joseph Orr, UNCCD Chief Scientist. “This report shows that investing in rangelands is not simply about restoring degraded land. It is about recognizing the value of these ecosystems and supporting the pastoralists whose knowledge and management have sustained them for generations. As governments gather at UNCCD COP17, the evidence provides a strong case for putting rangelands more firmly into land restoration, drought resilience and investment decisions.” The climate opportunity hiding in plain sight The report makes the case that rangelands’ neglect is the starkest when it comes to climate policy. The word “rangelands” appears in the national climate plans of just 24 countries under the Paris Agreement; “forests” appear in the plans of 181 countries. That blind spot overlooks two climate services rangelands already provide at scale: they are a vast carbon store and they are one of the world's most effective natural defences against drought. Rangelands offer mitigation, adaptation and resilience to climate change from a single investment across more than half the planet's land. Writing rangelands into national climate plans, and directing climate finance towards them, represents one of the largest and most cost-effective opportunities for governments and investors seeking greater climate returns. The report’s launch comes during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia, one of the world's great pastoral nations, where the future of rangelands and the communities who depend on them is a major focus of the conference agenda. The findings bring new economic evidence to COP17 discussions on land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable rangeland management. Notes to editors  Read the full report: https://www.ilri.org/rangelands-rising-investing-sustainable-management-and-restorationFunding: This work was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)Interviews with report authors and pastoralist representatives are available before and during the launchMedia contact: Anne-Marie Schryer-Roy, ILRI, a.schryer-roy@cgiar.org 

Fifty lawmakers from Mongolia and around the world are holding a five-day High-level Forum in the margins of UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia in a bid to turn global commitments into national action.Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 24 August 2026 – Parliamentarians from around the world are at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) global conference in Mongolia for a High-Level Parliamentary Forum focused on translating global commitments on desertification, land degradation and drought into concrete national action.The High - Level Parliamentary Forum, titled “From Commitment to Action: Parliamentary Leadership to Address Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought,”  is bringing together senior political and UN leaders to examine how parliaments can use legislation, public budgets, government oversight and representation to accelerate implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The Forum, taking place during the Convention’s 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (UNCCD-COP17) is co-organized by the G20 Global Land Initiative of the UNCCD, United Nations Staff Systems College (UNSSC) and the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia.  “Parliaments have the power to turn ambition into action. As we welcome parliamentarians from around the world to Mongolia, this Forum is an opportunity to strengthen the political leadership, legislation and investment needed to protect our lands and the communities that depend on them,” said S. Byambatsogt, Chairman of the State Great Hural of Mongolia.The Forum is part of the Global Changemaker Academy for Parliamentarians (G-CAP), an annual five-day leadership programme organised since 2023 by UNCCD-G20 GLI, in collaboration with UNSSC. This year’s G-CAP brings together 26 parliamentarians from 25 countries for dialogue and learning on land conservation, sustainable land management and restoration.“Global commitments only become real when they are translated into national laws, budgets and accountability,” said Yasmine Fouad, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNCCD. “Parliamentarians are therefore essential to the architecture of implementation, shaping the enabling policies, allocating resources, overseeing delivery and ensuring that the voices of affected communities are reflected in national action.”The high-level discussion will also feature: Carlos Alvarado Quesada, 48th President of Costa Rica; Prof. Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt; and parliamentarians from Mongolia and Türkiye. Representatives from the State Great Hural  of Mongolia include Ms. Mandkhai Mendbayar, Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture, and Ms. Bolormaa Enkhbat, a G-CAP 2025 alumnus. Ms. Nilhan Ayan, the COP31 Presidency’s Environment and Climate Envoy, will represent Türkiye’s Parliament.Following the high-level conversation, parliamentarians will move into facilitated discussions to identify practical actions they can take within their national mandates, with a focus on legislation, budgeting, oversight and representation.The recommendations will be consolidated into the Key Messages and Parliamentary Priorities for Action from the COP17 High-Level Parliamentary Forum and will inform the development of a Parliamentarians’ Action Toolkit on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, providing practical guidance for lawmakers beyond COP17.The aim is to help turn political commitments into the national policies, budgets and oversight mechanisms needed for implementation at scale.With land degradation increasingly affecting food and water security, biodiversity, climate resilience, livelihoods and economic development, the Forum will highlight the critical role of parliamentarians in ensuring that commitments made at international negotiations result in action on the ground.As countries move from ambition to implementation, parliaments will be central to creating the enabling environment that allows finance, policy and partnerships to deliver measurable results.NOTES TO EDITORSFor more information, please contact Sandhya Balasubrahmanyam, Learning Portfolio Manager, UNSSC (s.bala@unssc.org)About G-CAP The Global Changemaker Academy for Parliamentarians (G-CAP) is an annual five-day leadership academy for selected parliamentarians from around the world, organised by the G20 Global Land Initiative, hosted at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in collaboration with the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC). G-CAP equips parliamentarians with the knowledge, networks and practical tools to advance land restoration and sustainable land management through legislation, policy, budgeting and oversight, while fostering dialogue and peer learning among lawmakers across regions. Since its inception in 2023, G-CAP has grown into a global network of 100 parliamentarians from 55 countries.About G20 Global Land Initiative Established by G20 leaders in 2020 and hosted by the UNCCD, the G20 Global Land Initiative was launched with the ambition of achieving a 50% reduction in degraded land across the planet by 2040. The initiative works globally to foster collaboration, strengthen policy coordination, advance the restoration economy, empower grassroots innovators, and secure a sustainable, climate-resilient future for global soil and ecosystems.About UNCCDThe United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 Parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.About UNSSC The United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) is a trusted interagency learning partner of the UN system. Drawing on our established relationships and credibility across various UN mandates and contexts, we collaborate with UN entities to design and deliver learning solutions that address specific needs and support shared objectives. In 2016 the UNSSC opened its “Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development” in Bonn. The Centre was created to equip the UN and its partners with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The UNSSC Bonn Office delivers not only sustainable development learning but also change management and organizational development, as well as academic partnerships.

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — Opening the COP17 Youth Forum on 18 August, UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad called for more opportunities for young people to contribute to land restoration and drought resilience, from education and green jobs to entrepreneurship and innovation. “The green transition ... should involve the youth,” she said. “And by doing so, we are restoring hope in the future generation that they can still enjoy the planet and its natural resources like we did.” Mongolia’s Minister of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Aldarjavkhlan Jukov highlighted the role of young scientists, activists and herders in sharing knowledge and developing solutions for more sustainable and resilient rangelands. He called for youth-led initiatives to be connected with funding and for young people to have a more meaningful voice in the process. For Juliet Grace Luwedde of the UNCCD Youth Caucus, Mongolia is already showing what greater engagement can look like. “The Mongolian youth have actually championed youth engagement,” she said. “They've mobilized themselves, they've mobilized more young people to be able to come and engage with this process.” But Luwedde is looking beyond how many young people attend. She hopes the assessment of youth engagement requested by Parties at COP16 will help shape the Convention’s next steps on meaningful youth participation. The assessment shows how quickly the Convention’s youth constituency has grown. The UNCCD Youth Caucus expanded from approximately 200 members in 2019 to around 4,000 in 2026. But growth in participation has not yet translated consistently into influence. In a limited survey of 20 national focal points from 16 countries, 60 per cent of responding countries reported that young people had little or no influence on national UNCCD-related policy development and only 10 per cent reported youth involvement in decision-making. “We now have young people as negotiators in the negotiation room, so there is a lot of potential and opportunities for young people to continue engaging with this process,” Luwedde said. “But we have to be intentional about it.” The Land Youth Negotiator Programme is one way of turning that intention into practice. It prepares young people to join official national delegations and contribute directly to negotiations, building technical knowledge, negotiating skills and leadership experience. The programme has expanded from 100 negotiators from 35 countries in 2024–2025 to 155 from 44 countries in its 2026–2027 cohort. The programme is also drawing recognition from Parties. During COP17 discussions on capacity-building this week, Montenegro, the Dominican Republic, Moldova and the Cook Islands highlighted the Youth Negotiators Academy and the Land Youth Negotiator Programme. Its impact can also be seen in the paths young negotiators are taking through the Convention. Sedona Richardson of Grenada first attended a UNCCD COP as a civil society representative. After joining the Land Youth Negotiator Programme, she returned to COP16 in Riyadh as part of Grenada’s national delegation. “To be able to be in those negotiation rooms and to be able to advocate for my country, that is how it has impacted my life,” Richardson said. At COP17, programme participants described following negotiation tracks, helping draft text, preparing statements and supporting bilateral meetings — substantive work within national delegation teams. The discussion also looked at initiatives already creating practical opportunities for young people to take the lead.  Sustainability, Technology and Environmental Preservation Program (STEPP) is designed to engage young nomadic herders around the world amid environmental, technological and socio-economic change. The NomaTech Challenge combined capacity-building, international teamwork, engineering, problem-solving and prototype development ahead of COP17. The Silk Road Caravan connected pastoral landscapes, communities and experiences across countries on its journey to Ulaanbaatar, highlighting challenges shared across rangeland communities and the value of exchanging knowledge across borders. When we spoke with people already engaged in the Convention about young people’s place in its work, Anahi Ocampo-Melgar, a member of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface, brought the question back to what is at stake for the next generation. “To me, land is where the future of young people begins. I work in many parts of Chile that are experiencing rural abandonment and desertification. To me, therefore, land is a place where I hope there can be greater hope for future generations.” For Luwedde, the longer-term test is the Convention’s next strategic framework. As Parties look beyond the current 2018–2030 framework, she wants young people to have a clearer place in how the Convention works and how their contributions are recognized. The next opportunity to carry that discussion forward comes on 26 August, Land and People Day, with Youth, Land and Livelihoods: Building the next generation of land stewards. The session will bring forward priorities emerging from the COP17 Youth Forum and showcase youth-led solutions while connecting young people with governments, donors, civil society and international partners around participation, access to resources and opportunities to shape decisions. Photos © : UNCCD/Kiara Worth

About 30 mayors, governors and other local and regional leaders gathered this week at the UNCCD COP17 Mayors' Forum adopted the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, committing to advance local action on sustainable land management and drought resilience, and calling for a stronger, more permanent role for cities and regions in the UNCCD process.

 As land degradation, drought and water scarcity increasingly threaten food security, livelihoods and stability, UNCCD COP17 will place healthy land at the centre of human wellbeing and prosperityDelegates representing 197 UNCCD Parties, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses and land stewards are expected to gather in Ulaanbaatar from 17-28 August Mobilizing public and private investment to accelerate land restoration and drought resilience will be one of the defining priorities of COP17Governments will also advance decisions on drought resilience, rangelands, sustainable agriculture and soils, and private sector engagementUlaanbaatar, Mongolia, 17 August 2026 – Delegates from 196 countries and the European Union gathered in Ulaanbaatar today for the opening of the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  Over the next two weeks, governments, financial institutions, businesses, scientists and civil society will work to advance practical solutions, forge new partnerships and mobilize investment for land restoration and drought resilience, while Parties negotiate decisions on drought, rangelands, agricultural lands and soils, resource mobilization, private-sector engagement and the Convention's future strategic direction. The decisions, partnerships and initiatives launched at UNCCD COP17 are expected to strengthen international cooperation on sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience over the coming years, at a time when countries are facing increasing pressure from land degradation, water scarcity and climate change. Land degradation and drought are estimated to cost the global economy nearly USD 900 billion every year and already affect up to 40 per cent of the world's land and 3.2 billion people. Droughts have increased by almost one-third since 2000 and now generate at least USD 300 billion in annual losses. As the first of the three Rio Convention COPs taking place in 2026, ahead of the biodiversity and climate conferences, COP17 provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation across the Rio Conventions and accelerate practical action on land degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, food and water security and water resilience. H.E. N. Uchral, Prime Minister of Mongolia, said: “The greatest change we want to see from COP17 is a shift from talk to action, from targets to implementation, and from commitments to measurable results. Mongolia therefore calls for tangible progress at this conference. First, let us address land, climate and biodiversity not as separate issues, but as interconnected challenges. Second, let us increase investment in land restoration and take cooperation between governments, international financial institutions and the private sector to a new level. Third, let us make drought resilience not only an environmental policy issue, but a core part of development policy. Fourth, let us place the knowledge and participation of rangeland users, herders and local communities at the centre of global land management policy. Fifth, let us turn science, technology and innovation into practical solutions and real investment. Sixth, let us work together to create the enabling conditions to turn commitments into measurable results.” UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said: “Land degradation and drought are no longer distant environmental concerns. They are already affecting the food we produce, the water we depend on, the resilience of our economies and the ability of communities to build secure futures. Healthy land is the foundation of healthy food systems, resilient economies and stable societies. COP17 must therefore be a COP of implementation. The world does not lack solutions; the challenge is taking them to scale. Ulaanbaatar must mobilize the political leadership, investment and partnerships needed to move from commitments to measurable results on the ground. Restoring land is not simply an environmental obligation—it is an investment in people, stability and resilience. At a time when multilateralism is being tested, COP17 is also an opportunity to show that countries can work together to deliver practical solutions that improve people's lives. Our measure of success will not simply be the decisions we adopt, but the change those decisions unlock for communities, economies and landscapes around the world and ability to mainstream land in new development sectors to prevent its future degradation.” H.E. Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and UNCCD COP17 President, said: “For Mongolia, land is inseparable from our people, our livelihoods and our future. As a country where pastoralism remains central to our society and where land degradation, drought and dzud are already placing growing pressure on communities, we know that the health of our land has direct consequences for people’s lives. Hosting COP17 is both a responsibility and an opportunity to bring the experience of dryland countries and pastoral communities to the centre of global discussions. Mongolia will work with all Parties to make Ulaanbaatar a place where countries come together around practical solutions for healthier land, more resilient rangelands and a more secure future for the people who depend on them.” H.E.  Sandag-Ochir Tsend, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia and Chair of the National Committee for the Organization of UNCCD COP17, said: “Mongolia has completed its preparations to host UNCCD COP17 and stands ready to welcome delegates and guests from around the world. Desertification, land degradation and climate change are interconnected global challenges with far-reaching impacts not only on the environment, but also on food security, economic stability and livelihoods. COP17 will therefore provide a vital platform for strengthening international cooperation and advancing practical solutions. As the host country, Mongolia will promote constructive, consensus-based dialogue and work to ensure the inclusive participation of all Parties and stakeholders. The outcomes of COP17 must go beyond negotiated decisions and translate into concrete action, greater investment and stronger partnerships to halt and reverse land degradation, safeguard rangelands and soils, restore degraded land and combat desertification. Achieving this will require the active engagement of governments, the private sector, international organizations and financial institutions. I am confident that COP17 will mark an important step towards stronger international cooperation and accelerated global action to address desertification, land degradation and drought.” For host country Mongolia, these issues are part of everyday life. Nearly 77 per cent of the country's land is degraded, while pastoralism supports the livelihoods of one in three Mongolians. In 2023 and 2024, severe summer drought followed by devastating dzud winters resulted in the loss of more than seven million livestock, highlighting the growing vulnerability of dryland communities and the urgent need to strengthen resilience. Strengthening drought resilience Building on the progress made at COP16 in Riyadh, governments at COP17 will continue discussions on a global policy framework on drought while strengthening the practical tools, partnerships and financing mechanisms needed to help countries turn drought plans into action. Parties will discuss measures to strengthen preparedness, early warning systems, vulnerability assessments and international cooperation. More than 70 countries have now developed national drought plans, compared with only three in 2013, reflecting growing recognition that drought must be managed proactively rather than only once it becomes a humanitarian and economic crisis.  Every dollar invested in drought resilience can generate returns of up to USD 10, while some nature-based solutions deliver benefits of up to 27 times their cost. COP17 will also feature new tools and partnerships to help countries strengthen drought preparedness and resilience, including announcements related to the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility and the International Drought Resilience Observatory as well as other related programmes and projects. Closing the multibillion finance gap Mobilizing greater public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience will be one of the defining priorities of COP17. An estimated USD 355 billion is needed every year to combat land degradation and drought, yet current investment stands at only around USD 77 billion, leaving an annual financing gap of USD 278 billion. Despite depending heavily on healthy land and reliable water supplies, the private sector currently provides only around six per cent of global land restoration and drought resilience finance. Public resources alone are unlikely to close the gap, highlighting the need to strengthen collaboration between governments, development banks, businesses and investors. COP17 will explore how to unlock new sources of finance, strengthen incentives for sustainable land management, reduce investment risks and better align public and private investment with land restoration and drought resilience goals through discussions and examining new tools to leverage the existing pledges at the regional and national levels. The conference will illustrate progress on initiatives such as Business4Land, which aims to strengthen private sector engagement and partnerships for land restoration and drought resilience.  The Business for Land Forum on 24 August will bring together governments, businesses and investors to accelerate private-sector action and investment in regenerative landscapes. Participating organizations in the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes have already committed more than USD 9 billion across over 210 million hectares, while new policy recommendations aimed at unlocking further investment will be presented at COP17. Rangelands take centre stage Held during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, COP17 will place one of the world's largest yet most overlooked ecosystems at the centre of international discussions. Rangelands cover 54 per cent of the Earth's land surface and support the livelihoods of around two billion people, including approximately 500 million pastoralists who have stewarded them for millennia. Rangelands produce one-sixth of the world's food and provide around 70 per cent of livestock feed. Far more than grazing lands, they are strategic ecosystems that underpin food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihoods across the world's drylands. Yet up to half of the world's rangelands are already degraded or at risk, with 78 per cent located in drylands where increasing drought, climate change and unsustainable land use are placing growing pressure on ecosystems and communities.  Governments are expected to consider a new policy framework on rangelands and pastoralists and launch the Rangelands Flagship Initiative, a global partnership designed to increase long-term investment in sustainable rangeland management and strengthen pastoral livelihoods. The opening of COP17 also marks the conclusion of the UNCCD Silk Road Caravan, a multi-country journey across Eurasia that brought together governments, scientists, pastoralists, local communities and young people to exchange knowledge and showcase practical approaches to land restoration, sustainable rangeland management and drought resilience. Travelling along the historic Silk Road, the Caravan visited restoration projects and pastoral communities, highlighting practical solutions and the experiences of people restoring degraded land. Its arrival in Mongolia ahead of COP17 symbolically connects local action with the global negotiations beginning in Ulaanbaatar and marks one of the flagship initiatives of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.  From Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar COP17 builds on the outcomes of COP16 in Riyadh and the work undertaken since then to strengthen international cooperation on drought resilience, sustainable land management, financing and private-sector engagement. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 Presidency, said: “COP16 in Riyadh was a historical turning point in the global awareness and drive for action to address land degradation and drought. The world did not leave Riyadh with more promises—it left with more partners, more investment, and stronger momentum for action. We saw the Riyadh Action Agenda, which included 35 initiatives when it was launched at COP16 in Riyadh, has grown to include more than 100 initiatives currently. We witnessed stronger commitment to proactively face drought through the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, and a stronger participation of the private sector through the Business for Land Initiative. Through these partnerships, we have built a global coalition that is mobilizing governments, financial institutions, civil society, and the private sector to turn ambition into implementation. As we pass the Presidency to Mongolia, we will continue to work with COP17 Presidency and all other partners to maintain and amplify the global momentum that was achieved in COP16 to create a better future.” Beyond the drought and rangelands agenda, governments will also consider the Convention's future strategic framework, scientific guidance on agricultural lands and soils, greater participation by Indigenous Peoples, local communities, youth and civil society, stronger cooperation with the biodiversity and climate conventions, and ways to accelerate action under the Convention. From negotiations to action Alongside the formal negotiations, the COP17 Action Agenda will bring together governments, international partners, financial institutions, businesses, scientists, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, local communities, women and youth to showcase practical solutions, launch new initiatives and forge partnerships that can help scale up action on the ground. Four thematic days during the conference's second week will connect negotiations with high-level dialogue and practical action: Finance Day (24 August): Mobilizing public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience.  Water Day (25 August): Strengthening drought resilience and cooperation on the land-water nexus.  Land and People Day (26 August): Highlighting the role of pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth in restoring and sustainably managing land.  Food Systems and Soil Health Day (27 August): Advancing healthy soils and sustainable food systems to strengthen food security and resilient livelihoods.  The conference's high-level segment will feature ministerial dialogues and special events on drought resilience, sustainable rangelands, financing for land restoration, food systems and soil health, migration and security, sand and dust storms, and private-sector engagement. COP17 will also host the first formal convenings of the UNCCD Indigenous Peoples Caucus and the Local Communities Caucus, alongside the Business4Land Forum, Youth Forum and Gender Caucus, creating new opportunities for dialogue and partnership across governments and stakeholders. A Parliamentarians Forum and Mayors Forum will also convene on the sidelines of COP17. Several major scientific and policy publications will also be launched during the conference, including: 24 August: The Economics of Rangelands Restoration  25 August: The Drying Planet: Drought in Numbers 2026 26 August: Global Land Outlook for Small Island Developing States  26 August: Global Land Outlook Central Asia Thematic Report  27 August: Soil Health: The Business Case for Investing in Our Foundation  COP17 will conclude on 28 August, when Parties are expected to adopt decisions that will guide the Convention's work over the coming years and shape the next phase of global action on land restoration and drought resilience. Notes to Editors For media enquiries and interview requests UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int Opening press conference Date: 17 August 2026 Time: 13.15 to 14.00 Location: Press Conference room  Speakers: H.E. Sandag-Ochir Tsend, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia and Chair of the National Organizing Committee of COP17  Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat DesertificationH.E. Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and President Designate of UNCCD COP17Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Advisor to the UNCCD COP16 PresidencyMedia resources COP17 programme  UNCCD COP17 website   Host country website    UN WebTV – Live broadcast of key plenary sessions with live interpretation in all six UN languages   Audiovisual material will be available for download here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/94683648@N07/albums/ UNCCD COP17 branded materials   Earth Negotiations Bulletin (daily coverage, photographs and analysis)   Follow @UNCCD on X, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook. Primary hashtag: #COP17Mongolia Additional hashtags: #UNCCDCOP17, #UNited4Land About UNCCD    The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 Parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.