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

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。

As drought risks intensify, experts urge governments to turn Earth observation data into life-saving decisions

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 9 July – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) are advancing the landmark outcomes of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16), held in Riyadh in December 2024. As preparations gather pace for COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (17–28 August 2026), the visit underscored the strong partnership between Saudi Arabia and UNCCD and the shared commitment to translating those outcomes into action on land restoration, drought resilience and sustainable development.Implementing COP16 decisions and flagship initiatives was at the center of a high-level mission to the Kingdom from 5 to 9 July, during which UNCCD Executive Secretary Dr. Yasmine Fouad held strategic discussions with senior Saudi officials and regional partners — including H.E. Abdulrahman AlFadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture and President of COP16, and H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs — on drought resilience, sustainable finance, private-sector engagement and regional cooperation, while also reviewing progress in delivering key COP16 commitments.Discussions with H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir also focused on the growing links between land degradation, drought resilience, stability and security — an issue now firmly on the international agenda, including in the G7 Environment Ministers’ statement of April 2026. The mission comes at a time when land degradation and drought are increasingly recognized not only as environmental challenges, but as systemic economic, social and security risks. Nearly 40 per cent of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting the natural resources that underpin almost half of global gross domestic product (GDP). The combined cost of land degradation and drought now exceeds USD 878 billion each year, while drought alone causes at least USD 300 billion in annual losses globally.The discussions reflected Saudi Arabia’s continued leadership in elevating land restoration and drought resilience on the global agenda following the successful hosting of COP16.“Land degradation and drought are no longer peripheral environmental concerns. They are increasingly shaping economies, food systems, water security, public finances and human security. What we recognized in Riyadh is that prevention must become the new global model — because reacting to crisis after it unfolds is no longer sustainable. The challenge now is to build the financial and institutional systems that can turn resilience into a long-term investment priority and help countries act before risk turns into disaster,” said Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of UNCCD.A key focus of the mission was accelerating progress on the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership (RGDRP), launched at COP16 as a flagship initiative to help countries shift from reactive crisis response to prevention, preparedness and long-term resilience.The Partnership is designed to mobilize financing and technical support through three pillars: a Readiness Fund for national drought planning, an Investment Facility for large-scale resilience finance, and a Knowledge Bank to strengthen science, data and innovation.As it moves into its next phase, UNCCD and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are finalizing arrangements to establish a Multi-Partner Trust Fund ahead of COP17, helping translate commitments into action.Political commitments are already translating into investment. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) have each pledged USD 1 billion, in addition to a broader Arab Coordination Group commitment of up to USD 10 billion by 2030 to support drought resilience and land restoration.A major outcome of the mission was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNCCD and the Middle East Green Initiative (MEGI) — a regional initiative headquartered in Riyadh. Dr. Fouad and H.E.  Ibrahim bin Mohammed Alturki, Secretary-General of the Middle East Green Initiative, signed the agreement to strengthen cooperation on land restoration, sustainable land management and drought resilience across the Middle East. The Memorandum of Understanding reinforces a shared commitment to accelerating regional action and translating the outcomes of COP16 into concrete cooperation across the Middle East.Building on the engagement of business leaders during COP16, discussions also focused on  scaling private-sector investment in land restoration and drought resilience, including through stronger public-private cooperation and greater private-sector engagement through Business for Land (B4L), UNCCD’s platform for business action on land.These efforts reflect growing recognition that land degradation and water scarcity are increasingly influencing inflation, food prices, public finances and investment decisions — reinforcing their role as strategic economic issues for governments and businesses alike.UNCCD estimates that countries require USD 355 billion annually to address desertification, land degradation and drought, yet current investment stands at only USD 77 billion per year — leaving an annual financing gap of USD 278 billion. Private sector finance accounts for just 6 per cent of current flows, despite its growing exposure to land-related risks across agriculture, infrastructure, finance and supply chains.“Hosting COP16 by KSA was intended to be a historical turning point in the global focus on the significant impacts posed by land degradation and drought and was never intended to be a single event. It marked the beginning of a long-term commitment to accelerate global action on land restoration and drought resilience. We will continue working closely with UNCCD and various international partners to ensure that the significant outcomes achieved in Riyadh translate into tangible results on the ground towards achieving global objectives pertaining to land neutrality and drought resilience” said Osama Ibrahim Faqeeha, Deputy Minister for Environment at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With key foundations laid at COP16 in Riyadh, COP17 in Mongolia is expected to mark an important shift from political commitment to implementation — accelerating action on land restoration, drought resilience, sustainable food systems, rangelands and the financing needed to deliver them at scale.For UNCCD and its partners, the challenge is no longer whether the world can afford to invest in land restoration and resilience — but whether it can afford not to.With every dollar invested in sustainable land management generating between USD 7 and USD 30 in returns, the foundations established at COP16 in Riyadh, including the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership and the stronger engagement with the private sector through Business for Land are now moving into implementation.  Together, they are helping build a new global financing architecture that reduces systemic risk, strengthens food and water security, unlocks investment and demonstrates that restoring land is not simply an environmental imperative, but one of the smartest investments countries can make for long-term prosperity and resilience.

莫斯科/波恩，2026年6月26日——从卡尔梅克共和国和北高加索的草原，到横贯欧亚大陆的广袤草原地带，长期以来，土地一直将这一全球最大草原区域之一的人口、文化和生计紧密联系在一起。如今，这片共同的土地也将面临共同挑战的各国联系在一起，这些挑战包括土地退化、干旱、粮食安全和生态系统韧性等问题。俄罗斯在这一广阔的土地景观中占据重要位置。横跨欧洲和亚洲的俄罗斯拥有约7000万至8000万公顷草原和天然牧场。这些生态系统不仅支撑着生物多样性、牧民生计和可持续畜牧业生产，也为区域应对土地退化和干旱作出了重要贡献。随着欧亚地区土地和水资源面临的压力日益加剧，加强合作对于应对土地退化和干旱变得愈发重要。正是这些共同挑战促使联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德于6月25日至26日访问莫斯科，以推动欧亚旱地和草原地带的科学合作、可持续土地管理以及区域倡议。在访问期间，UNCCD 执行秘书会见了俄罗斯联邦外交、环境和农业领域的高级代表，包括俄罗斯联邦总统助理兼总统气候与水资源事务特别代表鲁斯兰·埃德尔格里耶夫（Ruslan Edelgeriyev）、俄罗斯联邦自然资源与环境部长亚历山大·科兹洛夫（Alexander Kozlov）、俄罗斯联邦农业部长奥克萨娜·卢特（Oxana Lut），以及俄罗斯联邦外交部副部长亚历山大·阿利莫夫（Alexander Alimov）。双方围绕欧亚地区土地退化和干旱治理优先事项进行了讨论，包括科学研究、知识交流以及区域合作的重要作用。与会者还就UNCCD第十七届缔约方大会（COP17）的筹备工作交换了意见。该会议将于2026年8月17日至28日在蒙古国乌兰巴托举行。此次交流重申了俄罗斯联邦与UNCCD之间长期以来的合作关系，以及双方致力于维护区域健康、富有生产力的土地景观的共同承诺，同时也凸显了土地恢复和抗旱韧性在保障粮食安全和实现可持续发展方面日益提升的重要性。此次访问的一项重要成果是，UNCCD秘书处与俄罗斯科学院地理研究所签署了一份谅解备忘录（MoU）。该备忘录建立在UNCCD与俄罗斯科学界长期合作的基础之上，进一步强化了科学、政策与行动之间在应对土地退化和干旱方面的联系。此次访问正值关键时期，欧亚各国正在加强合作，共同应对土地、水资源和粮食系统面临的日益增长的压力。在全球范围内，多达40%的陆地已经发生退化，影响近一半人口。土地退化每年给全球经济造成近9000亿美元损失，而干旱每年造成的经济损失至少达到3000亿美元。俄罗斯联邦总统助理、总统气候与水资源事务特别代表鲁斯兰·埃德尔格里耶夫（Ruslan Edelgeriyev）在开幕致辞中表示，COP17的筹备工作已进入决定性阶段。他强调，对本地区各国而言，以“以共同评估、共同理解优先事项和协调一致的立场”参与即将举行的谈判尤为重要。谈及“丝路之旅”（Silk Road Caravan）时，他表示，该倡议“象征着我们共同肩负着保护土地、水资源和生态系统的责任”，而这些自然资源的状况关系到整个地区的稳定。欧亚草原从黑海一直延伸至蒙古高原，绵延超过8000公里，约占全球草原总面积的四分之一。这些草原在维持社区生计、保护生态系统健康以及帮助各国适应干旱和气候波动方面发挥着至关重要的作用。在全球范围内，草原覆盖地球陆地表面的54%，支撑着约20亿人口的生计，其中包括约5亿牧民。草原提供全球六分之一的粮食供应和70%的牲畜饲料，因此对于粮食安全、农村经济和生态系统健康至关重要。然而，许多草原生态系统正面临不可持续土地利用、气候变化和干旱带来的日益严峻压力。“俄罗斯联邦一直是联合国防治荒漠化公约的重要合作伙伴，为全球应对土地退化、干旱以及推进可持续土地管理作出了积极贡献。” UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德表示。“我们在莫斯科的讨论体现了一项共同认识：土地退化、干旱和粮食不安全问题超越国界，需要各方共同应对。加强政府、科研机构和区域网络之间的合作，对于推动切实可行的解决方案、增强韧性以及促进欧亚地区的可持续发展至关重要。”这种合作精神同样体现在执行秘书出席东北亚荒漠化、土地退化与干旱网络（DLDD-NEAN）第十三次会议，该会议首次由俄罗斯联邦主办。该网络汇聚东北亚各国，为科学交流、政策对话和联合行动提供平台，共同应对土地退化、干旱以及沙尘暴等跨境挑战，充分体现了区域合作在解决跨境环境问题方面的重要价值。2026国际草原与牧民年（International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026）进一步提升了国际社会对草原及其所支撑社区重要性的关注。在欧亚地区，牧民社区数百年来塑造了当地景观、文化和经济，并帮助维持世界上一些最广阔放牧地的生态健康和生产力。今年，通过“丝路之旅”这一联合国防治荒漠化公约（UNCCD）旗舰倡议，这一共同遗产得到了充分展示。该倡议沿着历史丝绸之路穿越欧亚草原，展示各地在土地恢复、增强抗旱韧性和支持牧民社区方面所作出的努力。“丝路之旅”在俄罗斯境内途经达吉斯坦共和国、卡尔梅克共和国和阿斯特拉罕，展现了旱地面临的挑战以及可持续草原管理和生态恢复所带来的机遇。通过加强科学伙伴关系、深化区域对话以及推动实地合作，区域各国正共同构建更具韧性的土地景观、社区和粮食系统，以应对日益加剧的环境压力。

By Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification