Mongolia to host the next COP17, UN conference on sustainable land management

Bonn: The Government of Mongolia and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have signed an agreement paving the way for the 17th session of the Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Ulaanbaatar in 2026.

As per the official Statement, COP17 will bring together UNCCD’s 197 Parties in a crucial global forum to accelerate action against desertification, land degradation and drought.

Building on the progress made at UNCCD COP16 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in December 2024, nations will work towards finalizing a “comprehensive global drought regime” to enhance preparedness and resilience against increasing drought risks.

As one of the most affected countries by desertification, with nearly 77 per cent of its land degraded, Mongolia will leverage COP17 to drive solutions for land restoration, sustainable land management and resilience-building across the world.

At the signing ceremony in Bonn, Odontuya Saldan, Mongolia’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said: “Mongolia is committed to combating desertification and restoring degraded lands. Through initiatives like the ‘Billion Trees’ campaign, we are taking decisive steps to protect our environment and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.”

UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said”The urgency of addressing desertification and drought cannot be overstated. COP17 in Mongolia will build on the momentum from COP16 in Riyadh to enhance global commitments, strengthen financial mechanisms and foster cross-sector partnerships.”

According to UNCCD data, up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded, affecting nearly half of humanity and threatening climate stability, biodiversity and livelihoods.

With 60 percent of Central Asia and Mongolia’s land used as grazing rangelands, supporting nearly one-third of the region’s population, sustainable land management is a national priority.

The two-week conference will feature a high-level segment, thematic dialogues and forums, including the Gender Caucus and the first-ever Indigenous Peoples Caucus.

In addition, Youth Forum and the Business4Land Forum will engage youth and the private sector in sustainable land management solutions.

In line with its Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, Mongolia aims to reduce deforestation and forest degradation to maintain forest cover at 9 per cent of the total area by 2030, promote sustainable grassland management to halt further degradation, increase agricultural yields and ensure no net loss of wetlands by 2030.