The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) officially opened in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, on Monday.

Held under the theme "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope", COP17 brings together 12,000 representatives from the UNCCD's 197 Parties at a pivotal global forum aimed at accelerating action to combat desertification, land degradation and drought.

In his opening remarks, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osor Uchral said the world was entering a new era of collective decision-making on how to protect and restore the planet's land resources and what kind of world to leave for future generations.

"It is now widely recognized that desertification, land degradation and drought are challenges that transcend national borders and require a collective response from humanity," Uchral said.

"We need greater efforts now to turn commitments to combat desertification and land degradation into concrete action, supported by adequate financing, technology and institutional frameworks. Therefore, COP17 should not be a conference that simply repeats decisions and declarations from previous meetings, but one that accelerates their implementation," he noted.

The high-level segment of COP17 will feature ministerial dialogues, while the broader program includes multistakeholder forums and thematic discussions on science-policy integration, innovation and solutions, tools and technologies, and financing. The program also features four thematic days focusing on finance, water, land and people, and food systems and soil health.

Beyond formal negotiations, COP17 is expected to mobilize collective action on rangelands and pastoralists, drought resilience, water security, food systems and soil health. The conference will also seek to strengthen partnerships and promote practical, scalable solutions for restoring degraded land and building resilient communities and economies.

According to the UNCCD, land degradation is affecting a significant share of the world's land, with far-reaching consequences for food production, water availability, livelihoods and economic stability.

Mongolia, with a vast territory spanning 1.56 million square kilometers, is among the countries most affected by desertification and land degradation. At least 81.9 percent of Mongolia's total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation to some extent, according to a recent national assessment released by the country's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

Hosting COP17 in Ulan Bator is expected to place an international spotlight on Mongolia's land restoration priorities, including approaches that safeguard livelihoods, strengthen food security and protect ecosystems in dryland regions.

The conference is also taking place during the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026 (IYRP 2026), declared by the UN General Assembly and championed by Mongolia. The year provides an important opportunity to advance the sustainable management, restoration and conservation of rangelands and to highlight the needs of pastoralist communities whose livelihoods depend directly on these ecosystems.

"Mongolia is one of the world's last remaining nomadic countries. Nomadic pastoralism represents a way of living in harmony with nature rather than against it," Uchral said.

He stressed the importance of promoting the sustainable use of rangelands and land to strengthen food systems and pastoralists' livelihoods, protect biodiversity and soil and water resources, and build resilience to climate change.

Uchral noted that the UN General Assembly's declaration of 2026 as the IYRP, at Mongolia's initiative, had created a historic opportunity to elevate rangelands and nomadic pastoralism on the global policy agenda.

He said linking the IYRP with COP17 would help Mongolia demonstrate that rangelands should not be viewed merely as degraded land, but as vital ecosystems that create economic value, require investment, and connect food systems, nature and the livelihoods of pastoralist communities.

COP17 will continue in Ulan Bator through Aug. 28, with governments and stakeholders expected to work toward concrete decisions and partnerships to accelerate land restoration and strengthen resilience to drought and other environmental challenges

Published Date:2026-08-17