Amid geopolitical tensions, the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 17) was able to agree on 34 decisions but had to defer consideration of several other issues to COP 18, including gender, civil society participation, and synergies with other multilateral conventions.
“Even though many key issues were blocked from formal consideration,” the Earth Negotiation Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting notes, many delegates reiterated their commitment to seek collaborative solutions to address global challenges. For example, the Ministerial Dialogues during Week Two featured commitments and calls to action for strengthening synergies across the Rio Conventions.
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Substantive agreement on a number of critical issues also remained elusive. These included drought, migration, aridity, and knowledge sharing. However, ENB reports, parties agreed “to include the items on the agenda of the next COP, ensuring continuation of work.”
Delegates reached agreement on a number of substantive matters, including rangelands and pastoralists – a priority for the Mongolian Presidency of COP 17. According to the ENB analysis of the meeting, rangelands cover 54% of the world’s global land surface and are home to nearly 500 million pastoralists. With land conversion and degradation undermining customary governance and land stewardship practices, “pastoralists are among the poorest and most marginalized communities in many countries,” despite their role in sustaining healthy lands, food systems, biodiversity, and livelihoods.
In its decision, the COP encourages parties to, among other actions, develop and implement policies for the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of rangelands.
COP 17 also saw the launch of a multi-partner, global initiative on rangelands. The Rangelands Flagship Initiative seeks to significantly increase investments to achieve land degradation neutrality.
Other decisions adopted at COP 17 cover, inter alia:
- Sand and dust storms;
- Land tenure;
- Capacity building;
- Resource mobilization and the budget; and
- The future functioning of the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) for strengthening the role of evidence-based knowledge in decision making.
The first gatherings of the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities caucuses, both established at COP 16, also took place, ensuring their voices were heard in every plenary meeting.
UNCCD COP 17 convened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17-28 August 2026 under the theme, ‘Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.’ [ENB Coverage of UNCCD COP 17]