Five months ahead of the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17), Mongolia and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, unveiled the thematic days and action agenda for the conference, to be held in Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to 28 under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope”.
Delegates from UNCCD’s 197 Parties will join scientists, businesses and land stewards in Ulaanbaatar for COP17 to advance action for healthy land as a cornerstone of global resilience, stability and prosperity.
Scaled-up finance for land restoration and drought resilience, alongside the future of the world’s rangelands and pastoralists, will shape the COP17 agenda, with the conference aimed at translating global commitments into measurable progress on the ground. As the first of the three Rio Conventions COPs – on land, biodiversity and climate – meeting this year, UNCCD COP17 will set the pace for the rest of 2026 and beyond.
UNCCD Executive Secretary, Yasmine Fouad, said: “Over the past decade, countries have committed to restoring one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030 and more than 70 now have national drought plans. COP17 is our opportunity to turn these commitments into real change on the ground.
“That means mobilising finance at scale for land restoration and drought resilience, investing in preparedness rather than costly crisis response and recognising rangelands as vital assets for economies, cultures and climate. The thematic days and action agenda for COP17 reflect a simple truth: healthy land underpins food security, water availability, economic resilience and stability everywhere – and the time to act is now.”
Mongolia’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Batbaatar Bat, stated: “For the Government of Mongolia, the Riyadh–Ulaanbaatar Action Agenda is a strategic, participatory framework to mobilise citizens, businesses, cities and all stakeholders to restore critical ecosystems, including rangelands and agricultural lands. It drives investment in the land–water nexus and strengthens drought resilience. We call on leaders from all sectors to join us at COP17 to accelerate solutions for resilient economies and societies.”
To help focus discussions and mobilise action, COP17 will feature thematic days dedicated to key priorities on the global land and drought agenda. These will bridge political decisions with real-world solutions, making everyone part of a powerful Action Agenda to advance land restoration and drought resilience. The four thematic days planed for COP17 are:
- Finance (August 24): Restoring land at scale requires around $1billion dollars per day, but current funding falls far short. Finance Day will bring together ministers of finance, development banks and the private sector to help close this gap and unlock large-scale investment.
- Water (August 25): By 2050, three out of four people worldwide are projected to face drought. Water Day will advance proactive drought risk management and strengthen cooperation on the integrated management of water resources.
- Land and People (August 26): Rangelands support the livelihoods of some 500 million people but remain among the most undervalued ecosystems globally. Land and People Day will place the voices of land stewards at the heart of discussions, highlighting the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, pastoralists, youth, women and civil society organisations.
- Food Systems and Soil Health (August27): By 2050, the world will need to produce at least 50 per cent more food, even as food systems remain the leading driver of land degradation globally. Food Systems and Soil Health Day will connect soil restoration to food security, agricultural productivity and the livelihoods of farming communities.
“The thematic days of COP17 are designed to focus global attention where it matters most – on the solutions and partnerships needed to restore land, strengthen drought resilience and support the people who take care of our ecosystems. By bringing together governments, scientists, businesses, local and pastoralist communities as well as Indigenous Peoples around shared priorities, we aim to move from commitments to implementation and help ensure that healthy land continues to sustain communities, economies and ecosystems for generations to come,” added Executive Secretary, Fouad.