UN desertification conference opens high-level segment with ministerial dialogues

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) commenced its high-level segment in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Monday. The week-long event will feature three ministerial dialogues focusing on crucial issues: financing, drought, and the restoration of grasslands. The opening ceremony was attended by Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, and former presidents from South Korea, Costa Rica, and Finland, alongside approximately 100 ministers.

President Khürelsükh emphasized the need for the conference to serve as a platform for multilateral cooperation based on consensus, rather than a stage for geopolitical confrontation. He called for the meeting to be a historic milestone, transitioning from declarations to action and from promises to tangible results. This aligns with the goals previously set by the country's Prime Minister, Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, for the COP.

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This conference must constitute a historic and important milestone that marks a decisive change from declarations to action, from commitments to implementation, and from promises to tangible results.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed outlined three key areas for progress: shifting from isolated projects to the implementation of national plans, ensuring predictable and sustainable long-term financing, and adopting a people-centered approach. She advocated for the inclusion of herders and farmers in financing decisions from the outset and for securing their land rights. This call is particularly relevant for Mongolia, the host country, where nearly 82% of its territory is degraded, threatening the traditional way of life for thousands of nomadic families.

The ministerial dialogues are central to the second week of COP17. The first dialogue, on innovative financial mechanisms, began with interventions from ministers of about thirty countries, primarily from Africa and small island states. Discussions on security and migration, focusing on the impact of land degradation and drought on human mobility and the role of restoration in stability, are also scheduled. The following days will address drought resilience and grassland restoration, with parallel events on sand and dust storms, grasslands, and soil health.

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We must move from isolated projects to the implementation of national plans, ensure predictable and sustainable long-term financing, and adopt a people-centered approach.