COP17 in Ulaanbaatar ended with Indigenous Peoples and local communities still excluded from promised formal participation, as caucuses created at COP16 were never operationalised. Key agenda items on...

The United Nations biodiversity summit, known as COP16, comes amid growing concerns over plummeting populations of plants and animals, and damage to the habitats that sustain life on earth, from forests to rivers and oceans. At the last UN global summit on biodiversity, held in December 2022, nearly 200 countries signed up to an ambitious plan to reverse nature loss by the end of the decade.

In the spirit of the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope”, UNCCD COP17 recognised that sustainable and resilient food and agricultural systems are at the heart of the land, climate and biodiversity nexus. On the dedicated thematic day on Food Systems and Soil Health, the attendees zoomed in on how sustainable food and agricultural systems can accelerate progress toward the UNCCD 2030 objectives. While COP16's Action Agenda already included a Food Day, COP17 expanded this into a joint Food Systems and Soil Health Day for the first time. The day brought together a wide range of voices around four priorities: advancing political commitment to soil health, mobilizing finance and investment for sustainable food systems, putting people at the centre of land stewardship, and strengthening coherence across the Rio Conventions (UNCCD; UN Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC; Convention on Biological Diversity CBD). Food and agricultural systems emerged as a key entry point for synergising action across the Rio Conventions. Even though IUCN heard strong ambitions from many countries to adopt integrated approaches for delivering climate, biodiversity, and land outcomes, formal negotiations to integrate action across the Rio Conventions were blocked. This is why turning that ambition into reality will require working...

México fortaleció la cooperación regional para la protección de los conocimientos tradicionales de los pueblos indígenas, sus derechos y su participación en la conservación de la biodiversidad, durant...

Two years ago in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was hailed as a historic turning point — dedicated caucuses for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities were created, formally recognising their right to participate in the convention’s processes. Yet, as COP17 concluded in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, that hard-won progress stalled. Two years on, the caucuses that were meant to give those communities a formal seat at the table were never operationalised, leaving Indigenous Peoples and local communities without the standing they had been promised, and their agenda being postponed until COP18. The setback is more than procedural. For communities whose lands and livelihoods are on the frontlines of desertification, drought and land degradation, meaningful participation is not simply a question of representation; it can shape whether the solutions adopted by the UNCCD reflect realities on the ground. Unfinished promise from COP16 The trouble began on the very first day, when the provisional agenda came up for adoption on August 17, the United States (US) objected to including items including, on gender, on civil society participation, and on synergies among the three Rio Conventions. Without consensus, the items could...

(Patterns 6, 101208; March 14, 2025)

YouTube video by COP17 Armenia

YouTube video by COP17 Armenia

Video „Hodvábna cesta karavánu: Čo keby krajiny dokázali hovoriť?“ od Spojených národov prináša silné hlasy pastevníkov z rôznych krajín, ktorí zdieľajú svoje príbehy o živote v súlade s prírodou a o výzvach, ktorým čelia. Karaván nasledoval cestu starodávnej Hodvábnej cesty a spojil konferencie COP16 a COP17, aby zdôraznil dôležitosť pasienkov pre životné prostredie, kultúru a živobytie ľudí. Film ukazuje ich boj, odolnosť a nádej do budúcnosti, pričom poukazuje na potrebu ochrany týchto cenných ekosystémov. ## Pastviny: Základný kameň života Pastviny pokrývajú viac ako polovicu zemského povrchu a sú domovom pre pastevnícke komunity, ktorých životy, kultúry a tradície boli po generácie formované týmito krajinami. Video zdôrazňuje, že pastviny nie sú len zdrojom potravy pre hospodárske zvieratá, ale aj dôležitým prvkom biodiverzity, zadržiavania vody a ochrany pred vetrom. Sú to miesta, kde sa ľudia rodia, žijú, milujú a umierajú. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

The Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, established at COP16, also moved closer to implementation during COP17.

Países buscam destravar acordos e avançar em soluções concretas Rafael Cardoso – Repórter da Agência Brasil Começou nesta segunda-feira (17), em Ulaanbaatar, na Mongólia, a 17ª Conferência das Nações ...

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opened in Mongolia on August 17, 2026 with one clear message from the host country, the convention’s secretariat and Saudi Arabia, the outgoing COP16 presidency: the world has enough declarations on land degradation. What it lacks is finance and the institutional machinery to act on them. Hosted by Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to 28, 2026 under the theme Restoring Land, Restoring Hope, COP17 comes as droughts, wildfires and land degradation increasingly threaten food and water security, livelihoods and economic stability. The conference is being held in a year marked by a strong El Niño, with many regions facing worsening heat and dry conditions. Drought deal returns The most politically difficult issue before the conference is the global drought protocol left unresolved at COP16 in Riyadh, where countries failed to agree on a legally binding deal to tackle drought. Some parties, including the African Group, pushed for a binding protocol, while others favoured a non-binding drought framework. Negotiations were pushed to COP17, making Ulaanbaatar the next test of whether governments can bridge the divisions that stalled the deal in Saudi Arabia. Speaking at...

O evento deste ano traz expectativas por ações mais concretas de proteção da terra e também carrega a missão de resolver pendências deixadas pela última conferência, a COP16, em Riad, na Arábia Saudit...

O evento deste ano traz expectativas por ações mais concretas de proteção da terra e também carrega a missão de resolver pendências deixadas pela última conferência, a COP16, em Riad, na Arábia Saudita, em 2024.