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In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most MercifulYour Excellency Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Al-Fadley,Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,It is a pleasure to join you today, through this recorded message, on this important occasion that celebrates a remarkable national achievement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.What we celebrate today—the rehabilitation of one million hectares of degraded land—is not merely a number. It is tangible proof that land restoration is possible, even in the most challenging environments. It is an achievement realized on the ground, supported by science, guided by an integrated approach, and driven by a clear determination to create change.At a time when the world is facing an unprecedented acceleration in land degradation and worsening drought impacts, this achievement sends a powerful message:that solutions exist, and that collective action can turn challenges into opportunities.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has demonstrated how countries—even in arid environments with limited water resources—can lead a global model in ecosystem restoration by adopting nature-based solutions, leveraging innovation, and strengthening the integration between policies and practices.This achievement also stands as part of a broader national vision under the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims not only to plant trees, but to restore ecosystem functions, enhance biodiversity, and ensure the sustainability of natural resources for future generations.What further distinguishes this effort is its reliance on rigorous scientific methodologies for measurement and verification, enhancing the credibility of results and offering a model that can be replicated globally.Ladies and gentlemen,Land restoration is not only an environmental issue—it is a development and humanitarian imperative.This achievement directly contributes to:Strengthening food security,Supporting local economies,Creating jobs,Enhancing resilience to climate change,And improving the quality of life for communities. At both regional and global levels, land restoration is a key tool for addressing broader challenges, including reducing drivers of displacement and migration linked to land degradation, enhancing stability in fragile regions, and supporting international efforts for climate adaptation and resilience.What we are witnessing today in the Kingdom also reflects the power of partnerships, where government, private sector, and society have come together to achieve this milestone. It confirms that multilateral action is not an option, but a necessity to deliver the transformation required.In this context, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification highly values the Kingdom’s leadership role—through the Middle East Green Initiative, the Global Land Initiative, and its Presidency of the Conference of the Parties—contributing to raising global ambition and strengthening collective action.Ladies and gentlemen,Land restoration is an investment in people, in stability, and in a more sustainable future.What has been achieved today is not the end of the journey, but an important step along a longer path that requires continued commitment, accelerated action, and expanded partnerships.In closing, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for this outstanding achievement and for its continued role in advancing the global environmental agenda.We look forward to continuing this constructive collaboration toward a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.Thank you, and peace be upon you.  

在乌兰巴托 UNCCD COP17开幕前五个月之际，蒙古国与UNCCD公布了大会主题日安排 乌兰巴托/波恩，2026年3月17日 — 在距离《联合国防治荒漠化公约》（UNCCD）第十七次缔约方大会（COP17）于乌兰巴托开幕还有五个月之际，蒙古国与UNCCD于今天公布了大会的主题日和行动议程。本次大会将于2026年8月17日至28日在乌兰巴托举行，主题为“恢复土地，重燃希望”。 来自UNCCD 197个缔约方的代表将与科学家、企业和土地守护者齐聚乌兰巴托出席COP17，推进以健康土地为核心的行动，将其作为促进全球韧性、稳定与繁荣的基石。 扩大针对土地恢复和抗旱韧性的融资规模，以及全球草原和牧民的未来，将成为COP17的重点议题。本次大会旨在将全球承诺转化为可衡量的实际进展。作为今年三大里约公约（土地、生物多样性和气候）缔约方大会中的首个会议，UNCCD COP17将为2026年及未来相关进程定下基调。 UNCCD执行秘书亚斯敏·福阿德表示：“过去十年，各国已承诺到2030年恢复10亿公顷退化土地，目前已有超过70个国家制定了国家抗旱计划。COP17为我们提供了将这些承诺转化为切实改变的关键契机。这意味着需要大规模动员资金用于土地恢复和抗旱韧性，投资于风险预防准备而非高成本的危机应对，并认识到草原对经济、文化及气候的重要价值。COP17的主题日和行动议程体现了一个简单但深刻的事实：健康的土地是所有地区粮食安全、水资源保障、经济韧性与社会稳定的基础——现在正是采取行动的时候。” 蒙古国自然环境与气候变化部部长巴特巴特尔表示：“对蒙古国政府而言，‘利雅得—乌兰巴托行动议程’是一个具有战略性和参与性的框架，旨在动员公民、企业、城市及所有利益相关方，共同修复关键生态系统，包括草原和农业用地。该议程将推动对土地与水资源协同关系（land–water nexus）的投资，并增强抗旱韧性。我们呼吁各领域领导者共赴COP17，以加快构建具有韧性的经济与社会解决方案。” 为了帮助聚焦讨论和动员行动，COP17将设立多个主题日，围绕全球土地和干旱议程中的关键优先事项展开。这些主题日将促进政治决策与现实解决方案的衔接，使各方能够共同参与并推进有力的行动议程，以推进土地恢复和抗旱韧性。COP17计划设立四个主题日： 融资（8月24日）：大规模恢复土地每天大约需要10亿美元资金，但当前资金严重不足。“融资日”将汇聚财政部长、开发银行及私营企业，共同弥补资金缺口并推动大规模投资。 水（8月25日）：预计全球四分之三的人口到2050年都将面临干旱风险。“水日”将推动前瞻性的干旱风险管理，并加强水资源综合管理方面的合作。 土地与人民（8月26日）：草原支撑着约5亿人的生计，但在全球范围内仍是最被低估的生态系统之一。“土地与人民日”将把土地守护者的声音置于讨论核心，重点关注土著人民、地方社区、牧民、青年、妇女和民间社会组织的观点。 粮食系统与土壤健康（8月27日）：世界粮食产量到2050年需至少增加50%，而粮食系统是全球土地退化的主要驱动因素。“粮食系统与土壤健康日”将把土地恢复与粮食安全、农业生产力以及农民生计紧密联系起来。 “COP17的主题日旨在将全球关注聚焦于最关键的领域——即恢复土地、增强抗旱韧性以及支持生态系统守护者所需的解决方案与伙伴关系。通过围绕共同优先事项汇聚政府、科学界、企业、地方社区、牧民群体以及土著人民，我们致力于推动承诺走向行动与落实，并确保健康土地能够在未来世代持续支撑社会、经济与生态系统。”执行秘书福阿德补充道。 更多信息请联系： UNCCD新闻办公室：press@unccd.int  编辑须知 关于UNCCD COP17 的更多信息：https://www.unccd.int/cop17  UNCCD COP17“土地与干旱媒体报道资助项目”现已开放申请，截止日期为2026年4月15日：https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/stories/open-call-unccd-cop17-media-reporting-fellowship  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。 

The UNCCD and the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) are launching the Land and Drought Media Reporting Fellowship for six journalists to cover COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (August 17–28, 2026).

New global assessment reveals deep gaps in land tenure security, governance and women’s land rights  For billions of people, land is more than property. It is their livelihood, income, identity and stability. Yet that stability is increasingly fragile. Only about one-third of the world’s land is formally documented. More than one billion people – nearly one in four adults globally – feel insecure about their rights to land or housing and fear they could lose them within the next five years. A new global assessment, The Status of Land Tenure and Governance, sheds light on this growing insecurity. Co-published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Land Coalition and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), under the Global Land Observatory, it brings together data from governments, researchers and civil society to show who holds land, how secure those rights are and where governance gaps remain. With up to 40 per cent of the world’s land already degraded, secure land tenure is essential to restoring land at scale. A widening gap between land management and recognition Although states legally own most of the world’s land, much of it is governed in practice through customary systems. Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage 42 per cent of global land, yet only a small portion of those territories are formally recognized as theirs. This gap between management and legal recognition means that many communities who depend on land do not have formal protection of their rights.  In contexts characterized by high land concentration and ongoing large-scale land acquisitions, the absence of recognition can leave customary landholders with limited legal safeguards. Where land rights are unclear or unprotected, adoption of sustainable land management practices becomes more difficult. Farmers and communities are less likely to invest in restoring degraded soils, conserving water, or adopting sustainable practices if their claims to land are uncertain. “The findings of the Status of Land Tenure and Governance Report confirm that secure and equitable land tenure is a prerequisite for sustainable land management,” said Ward Anseeuw, Senior Land Tenure Officer at FAO. “Strengthening land governance is therefore essential to achieving the objectives of the UNCCD, particularly in advancing land degradation neutrality and enabling local land users to invest confidently in the long-term health and productivity of their land.” Rising insecurity and persistent inequality Land insecurity is increasing globally. Since 2020, the share of adults who feel insecure about their land or housing rights has risen from 19 per cent to 23 per cent worldwide – affecting more than 1.1 billion people. In several regions, more than one-quarter of adults' report feeling insecure, with youth facing particularly high levels of uncertainty. Gender disparities remain pronounced. Across 108 countries assessed, 48 per cent of men report being sole or joint landowners, compared to 40 per cent of women. In agricultural contexts, the gap is often wider. Women produce roughly half of the world’s food yet own less than one-fifth of land globally. Where women lack secure tenure – due to inheritance barriers, limited legal protections or discriminatory customary norms - their ability to invest in soil restoration and sustainable practices is constrained. Advancing women’s land rights is therefore not only a matter of equality. It is essential for resilient food systems and sustainable land management. Customary lands, climate and resilience Customary land systems often overlap with areas of high biodiversity and significant carbon storage. Communities managing these territories have demonstrated long-standing stewardship practices that contribute to ecosystem stability. Healthy land, including soils and water, plays a significant role in climate mitigation and adaptation. According to the UNCCD estimates, drought losses now exceed USD 300 billion annually, and large parts of the world are becoming progressively drier. Billions of people could face increasing aridity in the coming decades. In this context, strengthening recognition of customary tenure is not only about justice – it is about safeguarding ecosystems and supporting communities that are already on the frontlines of climate stress. A structural data and governance gap Land is central to food security, climate action and sustainable development – yet information about land tenure arrangements and the security of those rights remains patchy. Only a limited number of countries report fully on land-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators. Compared to sectors such as health or public finance, land tenure data are far less available and often not publicly accessible. The assessment calls for stronger national data systems, clearer legal frameworks and better alignment with international standards, including the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security and supported by FAO – the only globally agreed framework that sets standards for how land tenure rights should be recognized and protected. These guidelines form the foundation for a number of critical policy decisions of the UNCCD Conference of the Parties.  Without reliable and transparent information, it becomes harder for governments to track progress and meet commitments under the SDGs and the Rio Conventions – the three global agreements on climate change, biodiversity and desertification. Governance at the heart of restoration These themes were further explored during a joint side event convened by the UNCCD together with TMG Think Tank for Sustainability – an independent research and policy institute focused on land governance and environmental justice – as well as the Robert Bosch Foundation and other partners. The discussion underscored that restoration, food security, and resilience cannot be separated from land governance systems. Transparent land administration, inclusive decision-making, and legal certainty are foundational conditions for sustainable land management. Governments have pledged to restore one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, with nearly half of that commitment under the UNCCD framework. Achieving this ambition will require more than finance and technical solutions. It will require trust and equity for the people who depend on the land. “Land underpins food systems, climate stability and livelihoods,” said Dr Barron Joseph Orr, Chief Scientist of the UNCCD. “Without responsible and inclusive land governance that safeguards land tenure, the intended positive impacts of restoration efforts risk being temporary. Securing land rights is not simply about the four "R's" of Redistribution, Restitution, Recognition, and Regulation - it is about creating the conditions that allow communities to restore land and sustain it for generations to come.” Photo (c) : FORESCA

Across Southern Africa, drought is no longer an occasional shock — it is a recurring reality shaping landscapes, economies and daily life. As climate variability increases, pressure on land, water systems and rural livelihoods continues to grow. In Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar, the impacts are increasingly severe and they fall hardest on women and local communities who depend on land and natural resources to feed families and earn an income. In Madagascar, more than 9 million hectares (over 15 per cent of the country’s land area) are affected by drought, with some regions experiencing near-total crop failure during prolonged dry events. Mozambique faces frequent seasonal droughts that threaten food security for over 4 million people, particularly in its central and southern provinces. In Zimbabwe, recurring drought episodes have put nearly three million hectares of farmland at risk, with smallholder farmers and pastoralist communities most affected. Across these countries, drought disproportionately impacts women, who make up the majority of smallholder farmers, and other vulnerable groups dependent on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods. Yet the story is not only about risk. It is also about opportunity: how these countries are designing gender-smart, community-led solutions that turn drought resilience into livelihoods, restore degraded land and protect food and income while advancing sustainable land management and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). A key shift is placing women and local communities at the center — not only as beneficiaries, but as leaders of resilient livelihoods and value chains. This means recognizing women’s role in managing farms, water and household food security while tackling the barriers they face in accessing land, finance, skills, markets and decision-making. It also means strengthening community institutions so local knowledge and priorities shape what resilience looks like on the ground. Another big change is using drought risk data together with economic and livelihood analysis to identify where resilience investments can create real opportunities. In practice, this helps countries move from broad vulnerability profiles to concrete ideas that match local realities: which landscapes are most at risk, which groups are most exposed, what options can reduce pressure on land and water, and which interventions can generate reliable incomes even during dry periods. Countries are also working to develop scalable investment ideas — from climate-resilient agriculture to water management — that can attract blended finance and align with national priorities. Examples discussed through this work include community-based water management that secures access during dry spells, climate-resilient agriculture that stabilizes yields, and women-led enterprises that diversify income while reducing vulnerability and restoring degraded land. These solutions are designed to be practical, locally anchored and capable of expanding beyond pilot sites. “Women and local communities are already on the front line of drought. When they lead the solutions — supported by secure land tenure together with access to finance and investment-ready plans — resilience becomes real: it protects food and incomes today and restores land for generations to come,” emphasizes Louise Baker, Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. This work is being advanced through the Gender-Transformative Drought Resilience in Transition States in Southern Africa (GRDSA) Project, supporting Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to help countries prepare drought investment plans, strategies and pipelines. The GRDSA Project does not finance investments directly. Instead, it focuses on project preparation so countries can later mobilize additional public and private finance, building on existing national policies, drought monitoring systems and vulnerability assessments rather than duplicating them. National inception workshops held in 2025, alongside a regional exchange, helped set this work in motion. The project is financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Canada and implemented by the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. Photography (c) : Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, Krees Raharison

The Guna use eco-taxes to protect their forests, feed their people and save their culture