COP17 summit opens in Mongolia to combat desertification

COP17 desertification land degradation UNCCD soil restoration

The 17th United Nations Conference on Desertification (COP17) opened in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, running from August 17 to August 28, 2026. Under the theme ‘Restoring Land. Restoring Hope’, the summit brings together approximately 10,000 representatives from 197 countries and the European Union to address the global crisis of land degradation and drought.

Key objectives include establishing a binding international instrument for drought governance, which remained unresolved at the previous COP16 in Riyadh. Negotiators are also focusing on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, increasing global financing for land restoration, and improving the coordination between UN environmental conventions regarding climate, biodiversity, and desertification.

Data from the UNCCD highlights the urgency of the summit: land degradation affects roughly 40% of the Earth's land surface and threatens the lives of 3.2 billion people. These phenomena result in annual economic costs estimated between 880 and 900 billion dollars. Furthermore, approximately 100 million hectares of healthy land become unproductive every year. Experts note that every dollar invested in land restoration can yield returns between 7 and 30 dollars.

Entities

French Development Agency · Mongolia · Nyam-Osor Uchral · Sandra Rulliére · UNCCD · Ulaanbaatar · United Nations · United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification · Yasmine Fouad

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 7 SOURCES] Land degradation phenomena threaten the lives of 3.2 billion people. fr.news.yahoo.com · www.rfi.fr · efeverde.com · www.aip.ci · aquiacontece.com.br · +2 more
[● 16 SOURCES] The COP17 conference in Mongolia is scheduled to run from August 17 to August 28. efeverde.com · www.la-croix.com · www.rfi.fr · taz.de · aquiacontece.com.br · +11 more
[● 5 SOURCES] Approximately 10,000 representatives from 197 countries are expected to attend the summit. taz.de · www.tf1info.fr · www.ecoticias.com · entrevue.fr · it.euronews.com
[● 7 SOURCES] Land degradation and drought cause an estimated 880 to 900 billion dollars in annual economic costs. fr.news.yahoo.com · www.rfi.fr · taz.de · www.aip.ci · www.ecoportal.net · +2 more
[● 7 SOURCES] The theme of the COP17 is ‘Restoring Land. Restoring Hope’. efeverde.com · www.rfi.fr · taz.de · www.aip.ci · entrevue.fr · +2 more
[● 8 SOURCES] Desertification and land degradation affect 40% of the Earth's land surface. fr.news.yahoo.com · www.rfi.fr · taz.de · www.linfodurable.fr · www.aip.ci · +3 more
[● 2 SOURCES] Every dollar invested in land restoration yields between 7 and 30 dollars in returns. fr.news.yahoo.com · www.rfi.fr
[● 4 SOURCES] Approximately 100 million hectares of healthy land become unproductive every year. fr.news.yahoo.com · www.rfi.fr · www.aip.ci · dol.com.br