By Henry Neondo
Governments, scientists and business leaders will gather in Mongolia this August for a major United Nations summit aimed at accelerating action on land restoration and drought resilience.
The seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification will take place in Ulaanbaatar from 17–28 August 2026 under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.” Organisers say the meeting will focus on translating global commitments into concrete action to safeguard ecosystems and livelihoods.
Bringing together delegates from 197 countries, the summit comes at a critical moment as land degradation, drought and food insecurity intensify across many regions, including Africa.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said the conference presents a crucial opportunity to shift from pledges to implementation.
“Healthy land underpins food security, water availability, economic resilience and stability everywhere — and the time to act is now,” she said, noting that countries have already committed to restoring one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.
Fouad emphasized the urgent need to scale up financing for land restoration and invest in drought preparedness rather than costly emergency responses.
Mongolia’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Batbaatar Bat said the country will use the summit to drive a global action agenda that mobilises governments, businesses and communities.
“We are calling on leaders from all sectors to accelerate solutions for resilient economies and societies,” he said.
Four thematic priorities
To guide discussions and outcomes, COP17 will feature four dedicated thematic days focusing on key global priorities:
- Finance (24 August): Addressing the massive funding gap for land restoration, estimated at around $1 billion per day.
- Water (25 August): Strengthening drought preparedness as projections show up to three-quarters of the global population could face water scarcity by 2050.
- Land and People (26 August): Highlighting the role of Indigenous communities, pastoralists and land stewards, particularly as rangelands support over 500 million people worldwide.
- Food Systems and Soil Health (27 August): Linking soil restoration to food security, with global food demand expected to rise by at least 50 per cent by mid-century.
Setting the global pace
As the first of the three major “Rio Conventions” summits scheduled for 2026 — alongside biodiversity and climate meetings — COP17 is expected to shape the global environmental agenda for the year.
Organisers say the conference will aim to bridge the gap between policy and practice, ensuring that commitments lead to measurable progress on the ground.
For Africa, where land degradation and drought continue to threaten livelihoods, the outcomes of COP17 are likely to carry significant implications for sustainable development, climate adaptation and food security.