Annex II: Asia

随着土地退化、干旱和水资源短缺问题在全球各地区日益加剧，各国正积极寻求恢复生态系统、加强粮食体系、保障生计和建设韧性的有效途径。

 随着全球土地、粮食系统和水资源所面临的压力日益加剧，联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）第十七次缔约方大会（COP17）的筹备工作正进入关键阶段。 在对乌兰巴托进行为期两天的访问期间,UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德会见了蒙古领导人，以推进COP17的筹备工作。该大会将于2026年8月17日至28日在蒙古首都举行，主题为 “恢复土地，重燃希望”。 本次访问正值全球土地和自然资源压力不断加剧之际。全球高达40%的土地已经退化，严重影响粮食生产、水资源供应和人们的生计。与此同时，自2000年以来，干旱事件增加了近三分之一，这给当地社区带来了更大的压力，尤其是在旱地区域，那里的人们直接依赖健康的土地生存。 仅干旱一项每年就给全球经济造成至少3000亿美元的损失，其影响波及粮食系统、供应链和生计等各个方面。 从全球挑战到国家现实 在蒙古，这些挑战并非抽象概念。近77%的土地受到退化影响，而日益频繁的干旱和随之而来的严冬，给牧民的生计带来了越来越大的压力。牧民是蒙古经济的基石，也是其全国约三分之一人口的生活方式。 这些压力反映了更广泛的全球趋势。草原覆盖了地球陆地面积的一半以上，养育着约20亿人口，但气候变化和不可持续的土地利用正日益加剧草原的压力，其中多达一半的草原已经退化或面临退化风险。 土壤肥力下降、保水能力减弱和生态系统退化已经影响到粮食生产、收入和韧性。与此同时，各方正在努力应对。国家层面的土地恢复、牧场管理和可持续畜牧系统等举措正在帮助应对这些挑战，同时也展现了环境可持续性和经济韧性如何能够齐头并进。 聚焦落实的大会 访问期间的讨论不仅集中在 COP17 的组织安排上，也聚焦于确保大会取得具体且可衡量的成果。  这包括加大对土地恢复和抗旱能力建设的投资，加强可持续粮食系统，以及支持处于土地退化前线的社区。  “健康的土地是粮食安全、生计和稳定的基础，”UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德博士表示。“第十七次缔约方大会的筹备工作正进入关键阶段。我们正与蒙古国携手努力，确保大会取得切实成果，包括加大对土地恢复和抗旱能力建设的投资，加强粮食系统，以及暴露于高风险的社区。” 蒙古当局还强调了他们致力于推进绿色发展，并会将COP17 作为加强国家层面和全球行动的机会。 “荒漠化已成为影响我国每一位公民生活环境的问题。因此，蒙古国政府将绿色发展列为国家优先事项。我们将向国家大呼拉尔（议会）提交《气候变化法》。我们将向全球推广绿色发展政策，吸引投资，创造新的机遇。我们还将加快基础设施和项目开发工作。”蒙古国总理尼亚木-奥索尔·乌其日勒表示。 为何当下至关重要 土地退化和干旱日益被视为系统性的风险放大器。它们加剧了对土地和水资源的竞争，破坏了人们的生计，并可能导致流离失所和局势动荡。 在世界许多地区，这些压力已经与日益严重的粮食不安全问题以及不断加剧的社会和经济压力密切相关。当土地无法再维持社区的生存时，其影响将波及整个系统，从当地居民的生计到国家的稳定都将受到影响。 它们的影响远远超出环境范畴，塑造着粮食系统、经济韧性和社会凝聚力，尤其是在已经面临压力的地区。 因此，应对这些挑战不仅是环境方面的优先事项，在发展和经济方面也是如此。同时，这也是对稳定的投资，有助于减轻稀缺资源的压力，增强民生，并支持更具韧性的社区。 展望COP17 COP17 将汇聚各国政府、金融机构、科学家、民间社会和私营部门，以加快土地恢复和抗旱能力建设方面的行动。 重点优先事项包括扩大融资规模、加强抗旱准备、推进可持续土地管理以及提升对草原和牧民社区的关注，尤其是在 2026 年国际草原和牧民年的背景下。 作为2026年里约三公约中首个召开的缔约方大会， COP17正值重要时刻，此时挑战的规模之大以及不作为的代价之高都已显而易见。当前重点是将承诺转化为成果，并确保解决方案真正落地。 在蒙古国，挑战已然显现，这一雄心壮志并非抽象愿景。这关乎接下来的行动议程，以及COP17将带来的改变。 媒体联系 UNCCD 新闻办公室： press@unccd.int   关于《联合国防治荒漠化公约》 《联合国防治荒漠化公约》（UNCCD）是全球土地的共同愿景与声音。我们联合各国政府、科学家、政策制定者、私营部门和社区，共同推动全球行动，恢复和管理地球土地，以实现人类与地球的可持续发展。UNCCD 不仅仅是一份由197个缔约方签署的国际条约，更是减缓当今土地退化影响、推进未来土地治理的多边承诺，旨在为所有人公平和包容地提供食物、水、住所和经济机会。  

On March 26, 2010, a massive dust storm rose from the exposed bed of the South Aral Sea and swept across southern Kazakhstan. Within hours, skies darkened, visibility collapsed and toxic dust blanketed towns and farmland. The storm carried more than just sand and silt—it spread salt, pesticides and heavy metals, the legacy of decades of environmental mismanagement. It disrupted transport, damaged crops and strained hospitals with respiratory cases—highlighting how land degradation can trigger public health emergencies and economic instability.This wasn’t an isolated event. Over the past two decades, sand and dust storms (SDS) in Kazakhstan have grown more frequent and intense, particularly across the Aral Sea Basin and the country’s southern and central regions. What were once seasonal disturbances are now recognized as chronic climate and land-use threats.Sand and dust storms—vast natural phenomena capable of transporting fine particles across borders and continents—pose grave risks to public health, agriculture, infrastructure and national development. They aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, damage crops and livestock and interrupt transport and trade. In Kazakhstan, these storms are primarily driven by land degradation, unsustainable farming, deforestation and climate change—a combination that continues to erode natural resilience.While SDS play a role in global ecological systems—such as fertilizing distant ecosystems like the Amazon—their local impact in Kazakhstan is urgent and deeply disruptive.The Changwon Initiative: Building resilience from the ground upIn response to the growing SDS threat, Kazakhstan turned to partnerships that combined local action with global expertise. One of the most influential has been the Changwon Initiative, launched under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as a key driver of global dryland restoration efforts.Between 2015 and 2017, the Changwon Initiative—through the Greening Drylands Partnership—helped Kazakhstan lay essential groundwork for SDS preparedness. Though originally aimed at enhancing drought resilience, the project quickly evolved to address overlapping environmental risks. In the Makhtaral and Shardara districts, the initiative strengthened early warning systems, raised awareness among farmers and herders and supported climate risk assessments. Over 140 sustainable land management practices were identified and promoted, including the restoration of 64 hectares of degraded dryland. These measures didn’t just address symptoms—they helped local communities build long-term resilience to future storms.Advancing forecasting and preparednessBuilding on earlier progress, Kazakhstan has significantly expanded its SDS forecasting and preparedness systems. In collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization’s Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS), the country now uses integrated regional and global forecasting models that provide SDS predictions every three hours, with up to 72 hours of lead time.Improved forecasting helps farmers protect crops, health agencies prepare for respiratory surges and officials respond with faster, data-driven decisions. Kazakhstan’s active participation in the SDS-WAS Asia Regional Centre has also enhanced regional cooperation, particularly with China, Mongolia, Japan and Korea, through data exchange and collaborative research.From reactive to proactive: A shift in national strategyPerhaps the most transformative outcome has been the shift in national mindset—from reacting to each storm to anticipating and managing risk. SDS are now integrated into broader climate adaptation and sustainable land use policies and early warnings are reaching more rural communities.Farmers, local officials and frontline workers are increasingly adopting practical mitigation strategies—from planting vegetation that stabilizes soil, to modifying planting schedules based on storm forecasts.The Changwon Initiative’s contribution goes beyond project outcomes: it has helped embed environmental risk reduction into Kazakhstan’s long-term development planning.A Scalable example for the regionKazakhstan’s efforts show what’s possible when scientific forecasting, policy innovation and local action work in concert. While climate change and land degradation continue to fuel SDS across Central Asia, Kazakhstan is charting a course toward resilience. What began with emergency response—like that triggered by the 2010 dust storm—has evolved into a national model for proactive environmental management. With ongoing backing — including from the Changwon Initiative — Kazakhstan’s approach offers a practical, scalable model for other dryland countries. It shows that early warning, land restoration and local engagement are not only feasible but essential to safeguarding lives, livelihoods and development in vulnerable landscapes.

In Kyrgyzstan, where steep mountains and deep valleys define both the landscape and daily life, land degradation and drought are no longer distant threats — they’re reshaping everyday reality. These slow-onset crises erode not just soil and biodiversity, but the livelihoods and resilience of rural communities whose well-being depends on healthy land.Today, nearly 1.9 million people — or 35.5 per cent of the population — are directly exposed to land degradation. In 2019 alone, 1.83 million hectares of land were classified as degraded, accounting for nearly one-tenth of Kyrgyzstan’s total land area.While many countries face similar threats, Kyrgyzstan’s high-altitude terrain and dependence on pastoralism make it particularly vulnerable. In recent years, climate variability has intensified pressure on natural resources, disrupting crop yields, altering grazing patterns and straining water supplies across rural areas.Between 2018 and 2021, the Greening Drylands Partnership (GDP) launched a major effort to restore Kyrgyzstan’s fragile landscapes. It aimed to breathe new life into degraded ecosystems, protect biodiversity and help communities adapt to a changing climate. But with mounting deforestation, shrinking grasslands and escalating climate impacts, the challenge proved anything but simple.The Changwon Initiative: A driving force for land restorationThe Changwon Initiative — a flagship programme of the Korea Forest Service and the UNCCD — helped turn restoration from vision to reality. It became a regional catalyst for action, supporting land restoration not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia and Mongolia.In Kyrgyzstan, the Changwon Initiative aligned restoration efforts with national environmental goals and long-term sustainability. It ensured that recovery initiatives were not isolated projects, but part of a broader, coordinated vision for change. By bringing together governments, non-governmental organizations and international partners, it laid the groundwork for meaningful, lasting action on the ground.Planting the seeds of changeFrom 2019 to 2022, one of the most impactful efforts under this partnership was a community-focused reforestation project supporting rural and forestry nurseries. The aim was both simple and ambitious: to plant trees, raise awareness and build skills that would last well beyond the project’s end.Four nurseries were established in the Chui and Talas regions, covering a total of eight hectares. They became home to a range of fruit and ornamental trees — not just to green the land, but to promote sustainable farming and land use.Farmers and forestry workers received practical training in nursery management, pest control and pruning — blending scientific techniques with local traditions.The project didn’t stop with adults. Twenty-four school-based nurseries were also created, inviting the next generation to become caretakers of the land. Young people across Kyrgyzstan engaged directly with their environment, taking part in reforestation — one sapling at a time.To expand impact beyond the project sites, a national UNCCD information center helped disseminate tools and insights across the country, while roundtables shaped new policy recommendations for sustainable land management.Tools for long-term restorationThe project went beyond planting trees. It provided communities with the tools to understand and protect their environment long after the initial phase ended. Risk assessment maps identified areas most vulnerable to land degradation. Restoration activities were aligned with national policies and embedded in the broader Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) framework.Most importantly, people were placed at the center — not just involved but empowered. From farmers to students, local communities became stewards of their own recovery.While these efforts planted the seeds of progress, scaling up to achieve nationwide transformation is the next frontier. Moving beyond pilot projects will require sustained investment, stronger institutions and continued commitment from both governments and civil society. Sharing lessons regionally — from Mongolia to Belarus — will be key to ensuring success beyond borders.In countries like Belarus, restoration projects are already entering their second phase. Kyrgyzstan now stands ready to do the same — the foundation is solid, the knowledge is growing and community engagement is real. What’s needed next is a renewed investment in people, supportive policies and the natural systems that sustain life.A growing legacyWith support from the Changwon Initiative, Kyrgyzstan has taken meaningful steps toward restoring its land — and its future. Skills have been strengthened, forests are returning and a new understanding is taking root: land restoration is not only possible, but essential.Through strong partnerships and a shared commitment, Kyrgyzstan is proving that degraded land can recover — and that when the land heals, so do the communities that depend on it. Healthier ecosystems, more resilient livelihoods and a renewed bond between people and nature — this isn’t just an ideal. It’s a future already beginning to take shape.

三十多年前，库布其沙漠因流动沙丘和频繁的沙尘暴，被称为中国的“死亡之海”。如今，它已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。本周，第十届库布其国际沙漠论坛在内蒙古鄂尔多斯举行。论坛由联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）、联合国环境规划署（UNEP）、中国国家林业和草原局及内蒙古自治区政府共同主办，汇聚了国际组织、政府官员、专家学者和企业家，围绕“科学治沙 绿色发展”主题，共同探讨土地恢复的解决方案。 全球挑战，刻不容缓 全球土地退化正在加速。如今，全球已有40%的土地退化，直接影响近一半人口。每年因不可持续的土地利用和气候变化，至少有1亿公顷健康土地流失，相当于一个埃及的面积。经济损失严重：每年因荒漠化、土地退化和干旱损失近9000亿美元。 自2000年以来，干旱发生频率和强度增加了三分之一，每年造成超过3000亿美元损失。预计到2050年，全球四分之三的人口将受到影响。但解决方案是存在的。UNCCD数据显示，每投资1美元在土地修复上，可产生高达27美元的回报，既能增强粮食系统，又能创造就业，还能帮助社区抵御气候冲击。 从“死亡之海”到富饶之地 库布其沙漠展示了科学、政策与社区行动结合所能带来的奇迹。如今，超过50万公顷沙地得到修复，大片沙丘长满植被，减少了沙尘暴，稳定了土壤，也阻止了大量泥沙流入黄河。 可再生能源的引入发挥了重要作用。在退化土地上建立的光伏电站，不仅生产清洁能源，还改善了植被生长条件。这种“光伏+治沙”模式创造了新的就业机会，提高了家庭收入，也证明了治理土地退化能带来繁荣。在内蒙古部分地区，农民如今靠林业和果业获得主要收入，显示健康的生态系统能够支撑可持续经济。 “恢复土地，就是恢复尊严” 在论坛的视频致辞中，UNCCD执行秘书雅斯敏·福阿德强调： “库布其模式告诉我们一个基本真理：恢复土地，就是恢复人的尊严。它创造了逾10万个就业岗位，孕育了支撑家庭的新兴产业，让社区不再把沙漠视为敌人，而是视为共创未来的伙伴。这一转变并非单一部门之功，而是政府、企业和社区并肩携手、同心协力的结晶。” 共享经验，共创未来 论坛不仅关注内蒙古，也汇聚了来自蒙古国、非洲萨赫勒地区、拉丁美洲等受荒漠化严重影响地区的声音。蒙古国林业官员介绍了“十亿棵树”计划，非洲和拉美代表分享了从火灾监测到可持续牧业的经验。 论坛还展示了“UNCCD土地英雄”青年代表的经验。来自马里的企业家罗基娅图·特拉奥雷创立了Herou联盟，通过可持续辣木种植赋能妇女和青年。她说：“中国向世界证明了，只要有政治承诺和社区参与，就能把沙漠变成绿洲。种树不仅保护环境，还能增加GDP和社区收入。科学和技术是我们恢复土地、改善经济的最佳伙伴。” 来自津巴布韦的塔库德扎·阿什利·姆兰博则强调科技的重要性：“论坛让我看到无人机、卫星和物联网等创新方案，以及光伏与动植物结合的模式。如果能在撒哈拉以南非洲推广，我相信我们能够实现土地退化零增长的目标。” 从地方成功到全球目标 库布其的经验对全球具有重要意义。各国已承诺到2030年恢复10亿公顷退化土地，其中近一半是在UNCCD框架下作出的。要实现这一目标，未来五年每天至少需投入10亿美元。但收获的韧性、粮食安全和生计改善，将足以证明这一投资是值得的。 在土地恢复过程中，当地社区、农民和牧民发挥了核心作用：他们植树种草，成立合作社，发展小企业，证明了土地恢复能够带来社会和经济双重收益。 论坛的结论很明确：土地可以恢复，而当它恢复时，人类与自然都会受益。  

Riyadh, 14 September 2025 – On her first official mission as UNCCD Executive Secretary, Yasmine Fouad met with HE Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and COP16 President, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh."My visit to Riyadh was an opportunity to reinforce our shared commitment and emphasize the critical leadership of the Saudi COP16 Presidency as we work toward COP17," said Dr. Fouad. "To address the profound impacts of land degradation on food insecurity and economic uncertainty, we must act decisively and collectively. Our partnership is key to mobilizing political will and resources to restore land and hope."Discussions focused on shared priorities, including accelerating efforts toward drought resilience, transforming food systems, and creating new opportunities for private sector engagement in land restoration.On drought resilience, the meeting followed up on the launch of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership at COP16, emphasizing the need for a proactive, global approach to preparedness and response, and for strong policies that support vulnerable communities and ecosystems.On food systems, the two leaders highlighted the crucial link between healthy land and sustainable food production. Building on the landmark COP16 decision on productive agricultural lands, they noted that agriculture remains a major driver of land degradation, deforestation, freshwater extraction and biodiversity loss worldwide, and must be transformed to become part of the solution.On private sector engagement, discussions built on the Business for Land Initiative endorsed by leaders at COP16, concentrating on strategies to unlock financing and innovation, reduce investment risks, and develop a compelling business case for companies to become key partners in achieving Land Degradation Neutrality, supporting sustainable agricultural practices and restoring land.Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in December 2024, UNCCD COP16 was the largest and most inclusive in the Convention’s history, resulting in 39 decisions adopted by UNCCD’s 197 Parties."I am confident that through the Saudi COP16 Presidency and the upcoming Mongolian COP17 Presidency, we will be able to showcase that we can be united for land, united for people and united with hope," Ms. Fouad added.For more information, please contact: UNCCD Press Office press@unccd.int; 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.