UNCCD COP17: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 17–28 August 2026: Media accreditation is open
Bonn/Ulaanbaatar, 17 July 2026 — By 2050, agriculture will need to produce at least 50 per cent more food to feed a growing global population, even as up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is already degraded and the planet is becoming increasingly drier. While countries have already made global commitments to address land degradation and strengthen drought resilience, the priority now is to translate those commitments into action at the scale and speed these challenges demand.
Against this backdrop, the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will bring together governments, international organizations, financial institutions, businesses, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, youth and civil society in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026.
As the first COP of the Rio Conventions taking place this year ahead of the biodiversity and climate COPs, UNCCD COP17 will focus on the financing, partnerships and practical solutions that can help countries accelerate implementation of global commitments on land restoration and drought resilience. The conference will also underscore the role of healthy land as a foundation for climate action, biodiversity conservation and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Coinciding with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, UNCCD COP17 will place healthy rangelands at the heart of the global agenda. Covering 54 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and supporting the livelihoods of around two billion people, rangelands are essential to food security, rural livelihoods and planetary health, yet they remain among the world’s most overlooked and undervalued ecosystems.
Among the announcements expected at UNCCD COP17 is the launch of a new global partnership to mobilize long-term investment in sustainable rangeland management and pastoral livelihoods, recognizing rangelands as strategic assets for resilient societies and economies.
source — unccd press
