United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification: COP17
The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) concluded in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, bringing together governments, scientists, civil society and pastoralist communities to address the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought.
- Egypt will host the 18th session of the UNCCD COP (COP18) in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2028.
- UNCCD COP17 focused on tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, with emphasis on rangelands, pastoral communities, drought resilience, nature-based solutions and innovative finance.
- India highlighted community-led and science-based land restoration, predictable climate finance and conservation of Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs), while advancing its Land Degradation Neutrality efforts.
Key Highlights of UNCCD COP17
- Theme and Focus: The UNCCD COP17 was hosted under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” It emphasized that land restoration is not just an environmental agenda but a core priority for food security, livelihood generation, and preventing forced human displacement.
- COP17 coincided with the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), which was championed by the host country, Mongolia.
- The conference spotlighted the needs of pastoral communities who depend directly on these ecosystems.
- The convention noted the severe state of global land resources, highlighting that land degradation currently affects up to 40% of the world’s land surface, severely impacting water availability and economic stability.
- Being one of the most affected countries (nearly 77% of its land is degraded), Mongolia showcased its commitment through its national “Billion Trees” campaign ( initiated in 2021) aiming to plant one billion trees by 2030.
- COP17 focused on scaling Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and financing nature-based solutions to integrate ecosystem-related mechanisms into national planning and infrastructure development.
- Drought Resilience Index (DRI) Launched as the world’s first comprehensive technical tool, it uses AI-powered analytics and vulnerability mapping to assess countries’ capacity to anticipate, prepare for and adapt to droughts, enabling a shift from reactive relief to proactive preparedness and guiding data-driven investments.
- Drought Resilience Investment Facility (DRIF) Launched by the UNCCD and Luxembourg as the world’s first global catalytic financing platform, it uses public funds to de-risk investments and mobilise private and institutional finance for drought resilience, water security, climate-resilient agriculture and land restoration.
- The conference announced USD 1.3 billion in new and pipeline financing to scale up land restoration and strengthen drought resilience for vulnerable countries.
- Countries failed to agree on a legally binding global drought treaty, despite worsening droughts and a USD 278 billion annual resilience finance gap, deferring the issue to the next round of negotiations.
- A global drought framework would require countries to develop national drought plans and establish shared early-warning, monitoring and data-sharing systems covering rainfall, soil moisture, vulnerability and risk.
- It would create mechanisms to mobilise finance for drought resilience and land restoration.
- COP17 decided to make drought a standalone agenda item from COP18 onwards, ensuring its regular consideration rather than ad-hoc treatment.
