A group of international pastoralists, experts, and representatives of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is embarking on the Silk Road Caravan 2026, a multi-country journey across Eurasia highlighting the importance of rangelands and pastoralist communities. The journey begins in Türkiye (from May 6 to 15, 2026) and is part of a global campaign in support of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026.
Travelling across key regions of Türkiye, the Caravan will engage with local communities, visit rangelands and land restoration sites, and document stories of resilience, land stewardship, and sustainable livelihoods. The journey will continue through several countries along the historic Silk Road, culminating at the UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in August 2026.
The journey across Türkiye includes visits to Erzurum, Malatya, Gaziantep and Antalya, featuring:
- High-altitude pastoralist sites and pasture visits
- Post-disaster rural recovery and land restoration initiatives
- Cultural heritage locations linked to the historic Silk Road
- Engagements with local communities and pastoralist groups
An official launch ceremony of the Silk Road Caravan will take place in Antalya on May 13, 2026, bringing together international participants, government representatives, UN partners, and media. Speakers include: UNCCD Executive Secretary, Yasmine Fouad; UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador, Inna Modja; Representatives of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia; and Representatives of pastoralist communities.
For centuries, caravans travelling on the Silk Road carried not only goods, but also ideas, cultures and knowledge between civilizations. The Silk Road Caravan seeks to revive that spirit of connection, sharing stories of people working to restore land, protect ecosystems and sustain pastoral ways of life in regions where culture, land and climate are deeply intertwined.
The Silk Road Caravan is a flagship UNCCD campaign linking COP16 in Riyadh (2024) to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar (2026), in support of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026. This symbolic and physical caravan journey across Eurasian countries will shine a light on rangeland ecosystems and the pastoral communities that have shaped life along these routes for generations.
It aims to raise awareness of the critical role of rangelands, which cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support two billion people globally. Through a combination of field visits, storytelling, and a documentary film, the initiative highlights both the challenges of land degradation and the solutions emerging from local communities.