Road to COP17
On February 21, 2025 the Government of Mongolia and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) signed an agreement paving the way for the 17th session of the Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Ulaanbaatar in 2026.
COP17 will bring together UNCCD’s 197 Parties in a crucial global forum to accelerate action against desertification, land degradation and drought. 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.
COP17, set for 2026 during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) — declared by the United Nations General Assembly and championed by Mongolia — will build on efforts to promote the sustainable management, restoration and conservation of rangelands.