Ulaanbaatar: With 77% of its own land degraded, host nation Mongolia puts its herding crisis on the global stage at COP17. Drought framework left unfinished at the latest summit in Riyadh returns to center stage. Before world leaders gather in Trkiye this November for COP31, the flagship UN climate summit, a lesser-known but increasingly important conference will begin Monday in a country most people associate with steppes, horses, and the Gobi Desert.

According to Anadolu Agency, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, or COP17, runs August 17-28 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital. It is the first time a UNCCD COP has been held in East or Central Asia, and it comes to a country where nearly 77% of the land is already degraded. The Convention to Combat Desertification is one of three “Rio Conventions” that emerged from the 1992 Earth Summit, alongside the climate change and biodiversity treaties. Adopted in 1994, it is the only legally binding international agreement that links environmental protection with land management and rural development, and it now counts 197 parties — 196 countries plus the European Union.

Its conference of the parties has met roughly every two years since 1997, rotating among regions. COP17 will bring together delegations from nearly 200 countries, along with ministers, scientists, herders, farmers, Indigenous representatives, and business leaders for two weeks of negotiations and side events under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.” Unlike other climate COPs, which focus on greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and implementation of the Paris Agreement, the UNCCD framework focuses specifically on land degradation, desertification, and drought.

According to UNCCD, 1.3 billion people are directly exposed to land degradation, while 1.84 billion people endure persistent drought conditions. It says up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, undermining food production, water availability, and livelihoods, adding that droughts have increased by nearly one-third since 2000. The pressure is particularly significant for rural populations. Rangelands – grasslands, savannas, shrublands, and other areas used extensively for grazing – cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface, support about 2 billion people, and provide nearly 70% of global livestock feed.

Africa, particularly the Sahel, is among the hardest-hit areas, with millions at risk of displacement as arable land shrinks. African governments have organized as a bloc – the African Group of Negotiators – and have consistently pushed the hardest at recent COPs for binding international commitments and dedicated drought financing, arguing their countries carry the least responsibility for the crisis but suffer disproportionately. Saudi Arabia, which hosted COP16 in Riyadh in December 2024, has positioned itself as a leading voice on drought and dust storm early warning systems and has backed elements of the African position, even as it drew separate criticism at climate talks over its stance on fossil fuels.

The previous summit held in Riyadh resulted in the Riyadh Action Agenda to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030, the establishment of a $12.15 billion drought resilience alliance, and the creation of caucuses to incorporate Indigenous Peoples and local communities into formal decision-making. However, a proposed global framework for managing drought ended without agreement. The idea, championed mainly by the African bloc and small island states and backed by Saudi Arabia, was opposed by the US, the European Union, Australia, and several Latin American countries over concerns about the cost.

UNCCD estimates that at least $2.6 trillion in investment is needed by 2030 to restore more than 1 billion hectares of degraded land and build drought resilience. COP17 will test whether previous pledges can translate into actual projects and financing. Finally, coinciding with the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, COP17 is expected to focus heavily on nomadic herding, livestock management, and dryland soil health. A ministerial dialogue on restoring rangelands and improving the well-being of pastoralist communities is scheduled for August 26.