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Land provides the food we eat, the water we drink and the raw materials that power industries and economies. Yet nearly 40 per cent of the world's land is already degraded, threatening ecosystems, livelihoods and businesses alike.Reversing this trend requires action far beyond governments alone, with the private sector playing an increasingly important role in driving innovation, investment and sustainable land management.This is the vision behind Business for Land (B4L), the UNCCD main vehicle for engaging the private sector in sustainable land and water management. Through partnerships, policy dialogue and sustainable finance, B4L works with companies and financial institutions to help manage the risks associated with land degradation and drought while creating opportunities to restore landscapes, strengthen value chains and build more resilient economies.Building on the record level of private sector participation at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh, Business for Land will deepen its engagement at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Business Land Forum will bring together governments, businesses, investors and development partners to strengthen public-private partnerships and identify practical ways to accelerate investment and action on regenerative landscapes.One of the Forum's key outcomes will be the presentation of a new set of policy recommendations developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a global, CEO-led organization working with businesses to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.At the request of the UNCCD Business for Land initiative, WBCSD led a global consultation involving more than 50 businesses, producers, civil society organizations and ecosystem partners to identify practical policy changes that can unlock investment in regenerative landscapes. Drawing on the experience of businesses across agriculture, forestry, finance, food and manufacturing, the recommendations call for more coherent policy frameworks, stronger public-private collaboration and investment conditions that enable regenerative landscapes to be scaled. The recommendations will be formally presented during the Business for Land Forum on 24 August.“We need a systemic shift in the incentives that drive land use decisions so that sustainable land management becomes the default rather than the exception. I think it is absolutely true that this is an economic necessity and not just an act for the environment,” saidDr. Claudia Hiepe, UNCCD National Focal Point Team, Germany.The recommendations build on months of dialogue between governments and the private sector, including the Public-Private Dialogue on Regenerative Landscapes, co-hosted by the Governments of Germany and Côte d'Ivoire in partnership with WBCSD on 16 July. The dialogue provided an opportunity for governments and businesses to exchange priorities ahead of COP17 and helped shape the recommendations. Through the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes, participating organizations have already committed more than USD 9 billion across over 210 million hectares, demonstrating growing momentum behind private sector action. “Businesses and governments have a shared interest in scaling regenerative landscapes. But achieving this requires trust and collaboration between the public and private sector. Going forward, it’s important that both sectors continue to strengthen their collaboration to co-create country-specific solutions and unlock investment for sustainable land management,” said Emeline Fellus, Senior Director, World Business Council for Sustainable Development.Despite this progress, financing remains one of the greatest challenges. UNCCD estimates that approximately USD 355 billion is needed every year to meet global land restoration and drought resilience commitments, while current investment stands at around USD 77 billion annually. Closing this USD 278 billion gap will require stronger policy frameworks, innovative financial solutions and closer collaboration between governments, businesses and financial institutions. "Restoring land at scale requires more than finance—it requires partnership. Governments create the enabling environment, businesses bring innovation and investment and financial institutions help unlock capital. Business for Land is about bringing these actors together so that ambition is translated into practical action and lasting impact," said Louise Baker, Managing Director of the UNCCD Global Mechanism. Alongside the recommendations, WBCSD has launched a Statement of Support, inviting companies to endorse a shared commitment to regenerative landscapes and closer collaboration with governments. Businesses are encouraged to support the initiative and work with policymakers to adapt and apply the recommendations in ways that respond to national priorities and accelerate investment in sustainable land management. By bringing together governments, businesses and financial institutions, the Business4Land Forum aims to turn growing momentum into practical partnerships that accelerate investment and action on regenerative landscapes. 

The Olympic snowboarding champion will mobilize young people and sports audiences to support healthy land, resilient communities and ecosystems. Bonn, Germany, 12 July 2026  — The UNCCD has named Chinese Olympic snowboarding champion Su Yiming its newest Sport4Land Champion for Resilience. The appointment recognizes Su’s inspiring journey, his commitment to empowering young people through sport and his growing leadership in promoting resilience both on and the beyond slopes.  At just 22, Su has already established himself as one of the world’s leading snowboarders. He first captured global attention at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where he won gold in Big Air and silver in Slopestyle, becoming China’s youngest Winter Olympic champion and the country’s first Olympic gold medallist in snowboarding. At Milano Cortina 2026, he reinforced his place among the sport’s elite with another Olympic gold in Slopestyle and bronze in Big Air, demonstrating the resilience and adaptability required to remain at the highest level of the sport. The same determination also shapes Su’s work beyond elite competition. Inspired by his father’s years of volunteer coaching, Su established the Super Sports Foundation to expand access to sports education, support grassroots initiatives and help more young people pursue their ambitions. He also serves as a Special Olympics East Asia Regional Ambassador, reflecting his belief that sport should create opportunities that are inclusive and open to all. Snowboarding exists because of healthy mountain environments. Reliable snowfall, resilient landscapes and thriving ecosystems are not simply the backdrop to the sport, they make it possible. As climate change accelerates land degradation, biodiversity loss and water stress, athletes like Su can help inspire new generations to understand that protecting nature also means protecting the future of sport and the communities that depend on healthy land. For Su, resilience extends beyond athletic performance. It is also about creating opportunities for others and protecting the natural environments that have shaped his journey. Speaking about his appointment, he said: "Protecting the land is protecting the future of every turn we carve, every run we chase and every moment we find freedom on snow. Today, I call on every young person to be a champion for their own corner of the Earth—one small daily act at a time. Let’s turn our love for the outdoors into action that heals the ground beneath us.”Su joins a growing network of Sport4Land Champions using the universal language of sport to raise awareness of land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable land management. Launched during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the UNCCD initiative brings together athletes from around the world to inspire action for healthy land and encourage fans to become part of the solution. As Sport4Land Champion for Resilience, Su will work with UNCCD to help engage young people and sports communities in protecting and restoring land. Through advocacy, awareness-raising and public engagement, he will champion the idea that resilience is built not only through perseverance and determination, but also through safeguarding the natural environments that sustain life, livelihoods and sport itself. 

乌兰巴托/蒙古，2026年8月7日——聚焦草原和牧民群体的全球倡议“丝路之旅”（Silk Road Caravan）今日开启蒙古段旅程，此时距联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）第十七次缔约方大会（COP17）于8月17日在蒙古乌兰巴托开幕仅余数日。 数千年来，蒙古草原见证了欧亚大陆上人类、商品和思想的迁徙和流动。作为蒙古最重要的历史景观之一，鄂尔浑河谷曾是多个游牧帝国的政治和文化中心，而一代又一代牧民也在这里发展出定义蒙古现代社会的生活方式。 今年8月，这一历史篇章仍在继续。在UNCCD COP17召开前夕，UNCCD “丝路之旅” 在欧亚大陆穿越超过6000公里后抵达蒙古。一路上，倡议汇聚了牧民、科学家、政策制定者、青年和当地社区，共同分享恢复草原、增强抗旱韧性相关的经验与务实解决方案。 “丝路之旅”由UNCCD发起，旨在支持2026国际草原与牧民年（International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, IYRP 2026）。该倡议秉承历史丝绸之路连接亚洲与欧洲的精神。自5月从土耳其启程以来，“丝路之旅”已途经俄罗斯联邦、乌兹别克斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦和中国，考察土地恢复项目并与沿途社区开展交流。这一旅程展示了各方通过共同努力和合作，推动退化土地恢复的可能性。 UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德博士（Dr. Yasmine Fouad）表示：“在‘丝路之旅’的整个过程中，我们见证了各国和社区如何管理和恢复与其身份认同、文化、经济及生活方式密不可分的草原。沿途的每一站都印证了一个朴素的真理：人是恢复工作的核心。这些经历提醒我们，土地恢复没有放之四海而皆准的模式。当我们齐聚蒙古参加COP17，我们的责任是将这些地方经验转化为全球行动，加强国际合作，并投资于世世代代守护着这些土地的人们。” 蒙古国环境与气候变化部部长桑达格·奥其尔先生阁下（Ts. Sandag-Ochir）表示：“土地退化、荒漠化与气候变化不分国界。这些共同挑战，亟需共同应对之策。 ‘丝路之旅’在汇聚沿线各国经验、本土方案与民众心声之后，抵达蒙古。尤为意味深长的是： ‘丝路之旅’的终点，恰逢《联合国防治荒漠化公约》第十七次缔约方大会（UNCCD COP17）的起点。我们的目标，是将沿途所收集的经验与教训，携至乌兰巴托，并转化为切实承诺、更强合作与可落地的务实方案。” 蒙古食品、农牧业与轻工业部部长查·伊德尔巴特（Tsagaankhuu Iderbat）表示：“蒙古拥有悠久的游牧传统，并与广袤的草原有着深厚的联系，这些草原塑造了我们世代的游牧文化。为了提升全球对草原和牧民的重要性的认识，蒙古率先发起了相关提案，并最终推动联合国大会宣布2026年为‘国际草原与牧民年’，我们因此而感到自豪。‘丝路之旅’抵达蒙古以及随后举行的UNCCD COP17，为吸引全球关注草原、土地退化和气候变化问题提供了独特契机。这也提醒我们，牧民在与自然和谐共处中世代积累的知识和经验，至今仍是我们所需解决方案中不可或缺的一部分。” 草原覆盖地球陆地表面的54%，支撑着约20亿人口的生计，提供全球近70%的牲畜饲料，并储存着大量碳。然而，目前已有多达一半的草原退化，这使得生物多样性、粮食生产和农村生计面临风险。“丝路之旅”沿途收集的经验将被带到COP17，届时各国将共同探讨恢复和保护草原的下一步行动。 在蒙古，草原是牧民生活的基础。草原约占蒙古国土面积的70%，支撑着约三分之一人口的生计，并构成全球规模最大的游牧景观之一。 然而，这些土地正面临日益严峻的压力。蒙古约77%的土地受到退化影响。干旱发生频率不断增加，而沙尘暴发生天数较20世纪60年代以来已增加超过三倍。2023年至2024年，夏季干旱与随后发生的严酷冬季灾害（蒙古语称“白灾”，dzud）叠加，导致超过700万头牲畜死亡。这场灾害凸显了牧民社区在面对干旱和极端气候事件时的脆弱性。 “绿金”蒙古草原研究中心畜牧育种专家、参与了“丝路之旅”的阿维梅德·冈奥其尔（Avirmed Gan-Ochir）表示：“作为在蒙古草原长大的人，能够穿越乌兹别克斯坦和哈萨克斯坦，见到那些生活与我如此不同却又如此相似的牧民，这令我深受鼓舞。每个社区都教会了我们新的东西，无论是他们如何适应气候变化，还是如何传承代代沿袭的传统。我为‘丝路之旅’此刻抵达蒙古感到自豪，并欢迎各界人士到访我国，分享我们自身的经验，并在COP17召开前继续这一知识交流。” 蒙古文化、体育、旅游与青年部长阿尔达尔扎夫赫兰 · 卓尔登·（Aldarjavkhlan Jukov）表示：“数个世纪以来，丝绸之路连接了各国、各民族与各文明。随着‘丝路之旅’抵达蒙古，它为分享我们的游牧文化、传统以及与自然和谐共处的悠久传承提供了机遇。蒙古主办‘丝路之旅’的收官阶段，并欢迎世界参加UNCCD COP17，在我们的文化遗产与当今全球性挑战（包括土地退化、荒漠化和生态系统恢复）之间建立了有意义的联结，这是一个从历史智慧中汲取养分，同时携手迈向更可持续未来的良机。” 蒙古面临的挑战也是许多旱地国家共同面对的问题。8月17日至28日，COP17将在乌兰巴托汇聚各国政府、科学家、原住民群体、牧民、民间社会组织、企业和国际组织，共同探讨土地恢复、干旱治理和可持续草原管理的务实解决方案。 作为今年三大《里约公约》首次召开的缔约方大会（COP），UNCCD COP17有望推动形成全球土地议程。2026年正值国际草原与牧民年（International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists），UNCCD COP17也将进一步凸显草原在保障粮食安全、保护生物多样性、增强气候韧性以及支持农村生计方面发挥的重要作用。 “丝路之旅”参与者将在蒙古开展为期一周的考察，从戈壁沙漠一路前往该国中部的森林和草原地区。他们将与牧民家庭、研究人员、地方政府和牧业合作社开展交流，并参观土地恢复项目。 此次行程将途经呼斯泰国家公园、联合国教科文组织世界遗产——鄂尔浑河谷文化景观、列入《湿地公约》名录的乌吉湖，以及迷你那达慕（Mini Naadam）节庆活动。参与者将亲身了解蒙古草原地区民众如何应对土地退化和干旱挑战，并将在抵达乌兰巴托参加COP17之前，参与2026国际草原与牧民年的相关纪念活动。 -完-  编者注 媒体机会 在“丝路之旅”蒙古段行程期间，获得认证的媒体将有机会： 参观戈壁沙漠和蒙古中部地区的土地恢复项目； 走访牧民家庭和牧业合作社； 了解以社区为基础的草原恢复实践和可持续放牧方式； 参观呼斯泰国家公园、联合国教科文组织世界遗产——鄂尔浑河谷文化景观，以及列入《湿地公约》名录的乌吉湖； 采访国际“丝路之旅”参与者、蒙古专家和UNCCD代表； 报道“丝路之旅”在UNCCD COP17开幕前的收官活动。  媒体注册 目前，报道UNCCD COP17的媒体代表注册通道已经开放。鼓励记者通过联合国在线注册系统（Online Registration System, ORS）提交申请。该系统是媒体认证的官方平台。 媒体相关更多信息请访问COP17媒体页面。  关注COP17 关注@UNCCD官方账号，获取COP17最新动态：X、Instagram、LinkedIn和Facebook。 官方话题标签 #COP17Mongolia 其他话题标签 #UNCCDCOP17 | #RestoringLandRestoringHope | #UNited4Land | #HerLand | #Sport4Land | #Youth4Land资源 媒体资料包； UNCCD COP17官方网站； COP17主办国网站； 联合国网络电视（UN WebTV），将现场直播主要全体会议，并提供联合国六种官方语言实时口译； UNCCD COP17视觉素材及品牌资源； 地球谈判公报（Earth Negotiations Bulletin），提供每日报道、照片及分析。 关于“丝路之旅” 几个世纪以来，沿丝绸之路往来的商队不仅运送着商品，也促进了不同文明之间思想、文化和知识的交流。“丝路之旅”旨在重现这一连接精神，分享那些致力于恢复土地、保护生态系统以及维系牧业生活方式的人们的故事。这些地区的文化、土地与气候相互交织，形成了独特而紧密的联系。“丝路之旅”是UNCCD旗舰倡议之一，旨在连接2024年利雅得COP16和2026年乌兰巴托COP17，并支持2026国际草原与牧民年。从阿拉伯半岛的沙漠到欧亚大陆广袤的草原，这场兼具象征意义和实地行动的“丝路之旅”，聚焦草原生态系统以及世世代代塑造沿线地区生活方式的牧民社区。该倡议旨在提升国际社会对草原关键作用的认识。草原覆盖地球超过一半的陆地表面，支撑着全球20亿人口的生计。通过实地考察、故事分享和纪录片制作等方式，该倡议将展现土地退化带来的挑战，以及当地社区摸索出的解决方案。 更多关于“丝路之旅”的信息请访问silkroadcaravan.org 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。  

A new report shows progress in restoring land, creating jobs and building resilience across the Sahel—while highlighting the scale of the work still aheadIn Garaké, Niger, a pond once choked by invasive plants has become a source of food, income and hope. After restoration work cleared the water and opened the land for crops, Abdoulaye Aboubacar began growing rice, maize, sugar cane, potatoes and sweet potatoes. He now feeds his family, sells the surplus and invests the income in other small businesses.Stories like his bring to life a new report marking five years of the Great Green Wall Accelerator an effort launched to help turn one of Africa’s most ambitious environmental visions into tangible progress for communities on the ground.Led by African countries and supported by partners including the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative has evolved from a bold vision into a growing effort to deliver results on the ground and at scale.Senegal / Kaolack regionThe world's largest living structureOften described as the world’s largest living structure, it spans a vast mosaic of restored landscapes, farms, water systems and communities stretching across Africa’s drylands. Founded in 2007 by the African Union and UNCCD, the Great Green Wall extends across 156 million hectares — from the Senegal River Basin in the west to the Horn of Africa in the east. The 11 founding member countries are Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan.Five years into the Accelerator, the story is evolving—from ambition and scale to a stronger focus on tracking impact, improving transparency and building systems that can show what is working. It is no longer just about planting trees, but about whether large-scale restoration can deliver real change, fast enough, in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions.The initiative has long been thought of as a wall of trees. It’s more. A continental effort to restore degraded land, strengthen food systems and create new economic opportunities, while expanding access to clean energy and building resilience in one of the regions most exposed to climate change, land degradation and drought.Fetching water in NigerThe GGW Accelerator: Turning pledges into results on the groundLaunched in 2021 after the One Planet Summit, where major technical and financial partners pledged more than $19 billion, the Accelerator was created to improve coordination, track funding and help countries measure results. Five years later, the picture that emerges is still taking shape—but it is beginning to show how this effort is changing the way the Great Green Wall is planned, financed and monitored.Central to the Accelerator's success is its close partnership with the Panafrican Agency of the Great Green Wall (PAGGW), the intergovernmental body that coordinates regional implementation across borders. Together, the GGW Accelerator and the PAGGW work to convert financial commitments into tangible, measurable results across Africa's drylands, building the institutional architecture required for reporting and monitoring progress. The Observatory now tracks over 389 projects. But the data also tells a more complex story. Fewer than 90 currently report data aligned with the initiative’s harmonized indicators, highlighting both early progress and significant gaps in reporting that are still being addressed. Stonewall construction in Ethiopia's Tigray regionEven with these limitations, the available data points to early but meaningful gains: 1.66 million hectares under restoration, 24 million tons of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or mitigated, 4.6 million jobs created, 46 million beneficiaries reached and 2,315 MWh of clean energy produced.These results should be understood in the context of long-term land restoration processes, which can take years—sometimes decades—to fully materialize at scale, especially since reporting on the totality of GGW projects remains an iterative process that remains undergoing.For partners already investing in the Great Green Wall, the report offers a clearer —though still evolving— sense of how support is translating into results on the ground. For those considering future engagement, it points to something equally important: a growing architecture for transparency, accountability and investment readiness.Employment, women's leadership and the human face of restorationThe jobs figure is among the strongest early indicators of momentum. Against a 2030 target of 10 million jobs, the reported total suggests that restoration is not only an environmental undertaking but also an economic one. Across the Sahel, the Great Green Wall is increasingly being framed as a platform for rural enterprise, women’s leadership, youth employment and locally led adaptation.Reversing land degradation in Burkina FasoThe report’s human stories bring that shift into focus. In Mali, a women’s cooperative received tools, training and a tricycle that transformed the daily work of transporting organic fertilizer. The cooperative later expanded into processing local crops into enriched flour and was granted four hectares of land by the municipality. "We are leaders, innovators, and providers. Our daughters now see a future. Our municipality recognized our progress by granting us four hectares of land to scale up production. This is proof that women's leadership can inspire trust and collective action." — Florence Banou, 55, leader of the AMAKENE women's cooperative, Bandiagara, Mali — supported through WFP's Integrated Resilience ProgrammeIn Chad, women trained to install and repair solar panels turned clean energy access into a new source of income and independence."Since solar panels have come to Chad, families have benefitted a lot and women's lives have been transformed. Before, I depended on my husband. But today, we make a profit from each installation. Ever since I learned this job, I've wanted my sisters to follow my example." — Adouia Brema, Chad — trained to install and repair solar panels through a World Bank-supported initiativeSuch examples help reframe the Great Green Wall for its next phase—one that places greater emphasis on systems, data, and investment readiness alongside on-the-ground impact. They also point to three areas shaping what comes next: communication, innovative finance and transboundary land and water management. Together, they aim to build a stronger narrative, unlock financing tools such as green bonds, carbon credits and blended finance and align land restoration with shared water governance across borders. The next generation of land stewardsOne framework, one platform: Building a common evidence baseA central achievement is the move toward a common evidence base. This responds directly to longstanding challenges around fragmented data, coordination, and visibility of results. The Harmonized Results Management Framework, developed and validated with ten of the 11 countries in close collaboration with the PAGGW, gives partners a shared language for measuring progress. The GGW Observatory — launched in Ouagadougou in 2024 and now endorsed by 10 countries — builds on that foundation, offering a single platform for tracking projects, finance, results and geospatial data. Its indicators feed directly into real-time dashboards used by the GGW governments, donors and local communities.The Accelerator also supported the establishment of National Coalitions in nine of the 11 countries — bringing together Finance, Planning, Environment and Forestry ministries alongside civil society, academia, the private sector and media into whole-of-society platforms for GGW governance.Planting the seeds of the next harvest in SudanThe report also places the Sahelian effort within a wider continental frame, noting that the updated African Union Great Green Wall Strategy expands the initiative’s reach while keeping the Sahel as its foundation.The work ahead: From commitment to lasting impactThe work ahead remains substantial. Challenges persist, particularly in data completeness, coordination across actors, and the time required to translate financial commitments into on-the-ground results. Stronger national validation, more complete reporting and sustained political leadership will be needed to turn commitments into lasting impact. National coalitions, already supported in nine of the 11 countries, are expected to play a growing role in aligning ministries, donors, civil society and local actors.The PAGGW and the Accelerator will continue to use the COPs and Ministerial Councils to sustain political visibility and accountability, driving a unified 'One Africa GGW' momentum toward Mission 2030.This progress is supported by a broad coalition of partners working across the region. The next five years will be critical in turning these systems into real impact on the ground. The Great Green Wall is beginning to move from ambition to more visible and coordinated results—grounded not only in restoration, but in jobs, resilience and opportunity across Africa’s drylands.

The journey across Eurasian rangelands links land restoration with viable pastoral livelihoods on the road to Ulaanbaatar Bonn, Germany/Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, China (17 July 2026 ) — The Silk Road Caravan today reached its 6,000-kilometer mark in northern China, exactly one month before the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opens in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  Since leaving Erzurum, Türkiye on 6 May on a symbolic journey connecting Riyadh COP16 to Ulaanbaatar COP17 in support of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, the Caravan has travelled through Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan before arriving in China earlier this week.  Pastoralists and researchers from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America have joined UNCCD Goodwill Ambassadors and Sport4Land champions to explore how communities across countries are restoring degraded rangelands while sustaining the livelihoods that depend on them.  Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface, support around two billion people and provide nearly 70 per cent of global livestock feed. Yet up to half are degraded or at risk. At UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, countries adopted the Convention’s first decision devoted to rangelands, calling for stronger policies and investment, action against conversion, overexploitation and fragmentation, and a greater role for pastoralists in decisions on land management and tenure.  Along the way, the Caravan has served as a living showcase of restoration in practice, gathering ideas and experiences that will help inform discussions at COP17. From dune stabilization to sustainable grazing and value-added livestock products, each stop has offered a different perspective on the Eurasian rangelands—the world's largest continuous grazing region stretching 8,000 kilometers—that are under increasing pressures from the combined effects of drought and soil erosion. Carrying the knowledge, experiences and voices gathered along the route, the Silk Road Caravan journey will continue across Mongolia before culminating at UNCCD COP17 taking place from 17-28 August under the theme of “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.”  Insights from the journey  In China’s Otindag Sandy Land, willow branches are woven into grids across shifting dunes, stabilizing the sand long enough for grasses to take root.  But restoration does not end with planting. Sites are monitored over time, and livestock numbers are matched to the land’s carrying capacity and local communities—including women— receive technical support and incentives to maintain restored areas. China is just one example of a broader pattern that emerged across the Silk Road Caravan's journey. Each country offered different solutions, but many pointed to the same underlying principles. In Türkiye, seasonal mobility distributes grazing pressure across the landscape and gives pastures time to recover. Around Erzurum, it also supports household economies, with milk processed locally into cheese and other products. The system depends on secure access to grazing land and the transmission of pastoral knowledge between generations. In Russia's Kalmykia region, one of the most affected by desertification, hardy dzhuzgun shrubs are transforming shifting sands into productive pasture, with survival rates of around 95 per cent. The shrubs stabilize the dunes and reduce wind erosion, allowing fodder grasses to be planted between the dzhuzgun rows. As vegetation recovers, degraded land gradually returns to productive pasture. Mobile research units monitor the results while training students in the field. Restoration here follows a sequence: stabilize the soil, rebuild vegetation, recover grazing value and monitor results.  Meanwhile, Uzbekistan offered a lesson in the economics of patience. In Nurabad District, drought-tolerant pistachio trees are being established on degraded, low-productivity pastures. Local residents are paid to plant and maintain them; once the trees mature, five-hectare plots are intended for lease to lower-income families. The trees take years to yield. The model addresses a gap many restoration programmes leave open: communities need income while land recovers, and a lasting stake once it becomes productive.  In Kazakhstan, soil science and new technologies are helping transform the way rangelands are managed. Decades of soil surveys, herbarium records and aerial imagery are being integrated with GPS, satellite data and digital agricultural maps. These systems can track pasture condition, water infrastructure and early signs of degradation, while supporting reporting under the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality framework. The resulting evidence helps detect degradation early, before land's health and productivity are compromised.  In Kyrgyzstan, the Caravan journey highlighted another dimension of restoration ---one rooted in people and culture. Young activists from the Innovation Center in Bishkek brought elders and youth together through an intergenerational exchange on pastoral knowledge. On Desertification and Drought Day, 17 June, a dialogue at the Ministry of Agriculture convened policymakers, UN and international partners, researchers and pastoralists to develop recommendations on rangeland restoration and sustainable pasture management. Near Lake Issyk Kul, an association of women artisans invited Caravan participants to weave a commemorative felt carpet, demonstrating how   traditional skills, value-added local products, and fair market access create resilient rural livelihoods.   Message to COP17 Together, these experiences showed that while restoration solutions differ from place to place, the conditions for success are remarkably consistent and extend far beyond the countries visited by the Silk Road Caravan.  What unites these examples ---and makes them scalable--- is a common set of principles: communities need the authority and incentives to sustainably manage their land; grazing pressure must remain within ecological limits; land restoration must generate economic value; women and youth must have a voice in decision-making and land health must be monitored over time.  In Ulaanbaatar, the Silk Road Caravan will deliver a clear message: the most successful restoration efforts are those that strengthen livelihoods, build resilience and create economic opportunity, showing that restoring rangelands is as much a development challenge as an environmental one. 

UNCCD COP17: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 17–28 August 2026: Media accreditation is open