Williams calls for more funding to address drought and land degradation at UNCCD COP17

Jamaica’s Delroy Williams said environmental commitments will remain limited unless governments secure the money needed to carry them out.

Williams, the minister of state in the Ministry of Local Government, represented Jamaica at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, held from August 17 to 28, 2026.

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It’s important for Jamaica to be a part of this convention. It’s critical. The issues that are being discussed here are issues that are affecting Jamaica at this current time.

He identified drought, land degradation, sustainable agriculture, land restoration and water security as areas requiring urgent attention. Williams said the issues discussed at the convention already affect Jamaica, making the country’s participation important.

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The issue is that implementation requires financing and so if you’re going to move to implementation, then you have to secure the financing for that implementation.

He urged negotiators to shift their focus from discussion to implementation. That, he said, requires stronger existing financial mechanisms and new approaches to mobilize funding for environmental and climate-related projects.

Williams pointed to a mechanism that combines concessional, public and private capital to help close financing gaps for transformational projects. He said Jamaica had benefited from its focus on practical action and welcomed the convention’s attention to financing access for small island developing states.

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There is one financial mechanism that combines concessional and public capital and private capital to bridge the financing gaps for transformational projects.