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UN land conference opens in Mongolia to accelerate global action on restoration, resilience – EnviroNews
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Delegates from 196 countries and the European Union gathered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Monday, August 17, 2026, for the opening of the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Over the next two weeks, governments, financial institutions, businesses, scientists and civil society will work to advance practical solutions, forge new partnerships and mobilise investment for land restoration and drought resilience, while Parties negotiate decisions on drought, rangelands, agricultural lands and soils, resource mobilisation, private-sector engagement and the Convention’s future strategic direction.
The decisions, partnerships and initiatives launched at UNCCD COP17 are expected to strengthen international cooperation on sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience over the coming years, at a time when countries are facing increasing pressure from land degradation, water scarcity and climate change.
Land degradation and drought are estimated to cost the global economy nearly $900 billion every year and already affect up to 40 per cent of the world’s land and 3.2 billion people. Droughts have increased by almost one-third since 2000 and now generate at least $300 billion in annual losses.
As the first of the three Rio Convention COPs taking place in 2026, ahead of the biodiversity and climate conferences, COP17 provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation across the Rio Conventions and accelerate practical action on land degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, food and water security and water resilience.
For host country Mongolia, these issues are part of everyday life. Nearly 77 per cent of the country’s land is degraded, while pastoralism supports the livelihoods of one in three Mongolians. In 2023 and 2024, severe summer drought followed by devastating dzud winters resulted in the loss of more than seven million livestock, highlighting the growing vulnerability of dryland communities and the urgent need to strengthen resilience.
Strengthening drought resilience
Building on the progress made at COP16 in Riyadh, governments at COP17 will continue discussions on a global policy framework on drought while strengthening the practical tools, partnerships and financing mechanisms needed to help countries turn drought plans into action. Parties will discuss measures to strengthen preparedness, early warning systems, vulnerability assessments and international cooperation.
More than 70 countries have now developed national drought plans, compared with only three in 2013, reflecting growing recognition that drought must be managed proactively rather than only once it becomes a humanitarian and economic crisis.
Every dollar invested in drought resilience can generate returns of up to $10, while some nature-based solutions deliver benefits of up to 27 times their cost.
COP17 will also feature new tools and partnerships to help countries strengthen drought preparedness and resilience, including announcements related to the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, the Drought Resilience Investment Facility and the International Drought Resilience Observatory as well as other related programmes and projects.
Closing the multibillion finance gap
Mobilising greater public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience will be one of the defining priorities of COP17.
An estimated $355 billion is needed every year to combat land degradation and drought, yet current investment stands at only around $77 billion, leaving an annual financing gap of $278 billion.
Despite depending heavily on healthy land and reliable water supplies, the private sector currently provides only around six per cent of global land restoration and drought resilience finance. Public resources alone are unlikely to close the gap, highlighting the need to strengthen collaboration between governments, development banks, businesses and investors.
COP17 will explore how to unlock new sources of finance, strengthen incentives for sustainable land management, reduce investment risks and better align public and private investment with land restoration and drought resilience goals through discussions and examining new tools to leverage the existing pledges at the regional and national levels. The conference will illustrate progress on initiatives such as Business4Land, which aims to strengthen private sector engagement and partnerships for land restoration and drought resilience.
The Business for Land Forum on August 24 will bring together governments, businesses and investors to accelerate private sector action and investment in regenerative landscapes. Participating organizations in the Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes have already committed more than $9 billion across over 210 million hectares, while new policy recommendations aimed at unlocking further investment will be presented at COP17.
Rangelands take centre stage
Held during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, COP17 will place one of the world’s largest yet most overlooked ecosystems at the centre of international discussions.
Rangelands cover 54 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and support the livelihoods of around two billion people, including approximately 500 million pastoralists who have stewarded them for millennia.
Rangelands produce one-sixth of the world’s food and provide around 70 per cent of livestock feed. Far more than grazing lands, they are strategic ecosystems that underpin food security, biodiversity, climate resilience and livelihoods across the world’s drylands. Yet up to half of the world’s rangelands are already degraded or at risk, with 78 per cent located in drylands where increasing drought, climate change and unsustainable land use are placing growing pressure on ecosystems and communities.
Governments are expected to consider a new policy framework on rangelands and pastoralists and launch the Rangelands Flagship Initiative, a global partnership designed to increase long-term investment in sustainable rangeland management and strengthen pastoral livelihoods.
The opening of COP17 also marks the conclusion of the UNCCD Silk Road Caravan, a multi-country journey across Eurasia that brought together governments, scientists, pastoralists, local communities and young people to exchange knowledge and showcase practical approaches to land restoration, sustainable rangeland management and drought resilience.
Travelling along the historic Silk Road, the Caravan visited restoration projects and pastoral communities, highlighting practical solutions and the experiences of people restoring degraded land. Its arrival in Mongolia ahead of COP17 symbolically connects local action with the global negotiations beginning in Ulaanbaatar and marks one of the flagship initiatives of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
Beyond the drought and rangelands agenda, governments will also consider the Convention’s future strategic framework, scientific guidance on agricultural lands and soils, greater participation by Indigenous Peoples, local communities, youth and civil society, stronger cooperation with the biodiversity and climate conventions, and ways to accelerate action under the Convention.
From negotiations to action
Alongside the formal negotiations, the COP17 Action Agenda will bring together governments, international partners, financial institutions, businesses, scientists, civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, local communities, women and youth to showcase practical solutions, launch new initiatives and forge partnerships that can help scale up action on the ground.
Four thematic days during the conference’s second week will connect negotiations with high-level dialogue and practical action:
- Finance Day (August 24): Mobilising public and private investment for land restoration and drought resilience.
- Water Day (August 25): Strengthening drought resilience and cooperation on the land-water nexus.
- Land and People Day (August 26): Highlighting the role of pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and youth in restoring and sustainably managing land.
- Food Systems and Soil Health Day (August 27): Advancing healthy soils and sustainable food systems to strengthen food security and resilient livelihoods.
The conference’s high-level segment will feature ministerial dialogues and special events on drought resilience, sustainable rangelands, financing for land restoration, food systems and soil health, migration and security, sand and dust storms, and private-sector engagement.
COP17 will also host the first formal convenings of the UNCCD Indigenous Peoples Caucus and the Local Communities Caucus, alongside the Business4Land Forum, Youth Forum and Gender Caucus, creating new opportunities for dialogue and partnership across governments and stakeholders. A Parliamentarians Forum and Mayors Forum will also convene on the sidelines of COP17.
Several major scientific and policy publications will also be launched during the conference, including:
- August 24: The Economics of Rangelands Restoration
- August 25: The Drying Planet: Drought in Numbers 2026
- August 26: Global Land Outlook for Small Island Developing States
- August 26: Global Land Outlook Central Asia Thematic Report
- August 27: Soil Health: The Business Case for Investing in Our Foundation
COP17 will conclude on August 28, when Parties are expected to adopt decisions that will guide the Convention’s work over the coming years and shape the next phase of global action on land restoration and drought resilience.
