COP17 on combating desertification: priorities and challenges Mongolia International cooperation environment United Nations News Published on : August 21st 2026 Mongolia is hosting the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, from 17 to 28 August 2026. This event opens a year marked by three major United Nations conferences dedicated to the environment (a “triple COP”), with the biodiversity COP in Armenia followed by the climate COP in Turkey. Against an international backdrop marked by strong geopolitical tensions, COP17 is an important event where the implementation of international commitments to combat land degradation is pursued and France’s dedication to multilateralism and science is recalled. Soils provide the largest land-based carbon sinks - Soils store three times as much carbon as the atmosphere. - They also capture almost three times as much carbon as all global vegetation. => Restoring degraded land could provide more than a third of the emissions reductions needed by 2030 to keep global warming in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Main goals of COP17 Long considered the least visible of the three Rio Conventions, the Convention to Combat Desertification today has an increasingly important role in international environmental negotiations. The consequences of land degradation, drought, and sand and dust storms affect all regions in the world. They directly affect food security, access to water, economic development, the stability of countries and efforts to combat climate change, and contribute to the erosion of biodiversity. COP17 builds on the progress made at COP16 on desertification in Riyadh in 2024, particularly regarding the preservation and restoration of farmland. During COP16, France declared itself a party affected by desertification. Negotiations this year mainly focus on: International responses to worsening drought Sustainable management of farmland and water resources The promotion of sustainable pastoralism What is a COP? French priorities France defends an integrated approach to the fight against desertification, based on synergies between the climate, biodiversity, sustainable development and food security. This approach is organized around several priorities: Advancing work on drought by supporting the drafting of tangible responses that will strengthen the adaptation and resilience of territories Promoting sustainable agricultural systems that preserve the health of soils Defining the future strategic framework of the Convention, which will set out the organization's priorities for the coming years France also advocates for a more effective international financial architecture, founded on the strengthening of existing instruments, particularly the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), rather than increasing the number of new mechanisms. France alongside Mongolia in the fight against desertification France is strengthening Mongolian institutions to: - Improve meteorological services and access to climate information - Strengthen prevention and management of forest and steppe fires, and - Sustainably promote water resources, particularly groundwater resources Understanding desertification Desertification and land degradation today affect almost half of the world’s population. All continents today are affected by this phenomenon. The worst affected areas are in the Middle East, Latin and North America, Central and South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Desertification and land degradation weaken food security, heighten inequalities, encourage displacement of populations and fuel tensions around natural resources. Desertification and land degradation in figures - Around half of the global population is affected- Between 40% and 75% of the world’s land is degraded- In France, up to 75% of land is degraded, of which around 1% is affected by desertification Preserving soils therefore makes it possible to store more carbon, preserve biodiversity, secure farming production and strengthen resilience to drought. The “4 per 1000” initiative launched by France at COP21 in 2015 encourages States to increase the organic matter in their soils by 0.4% every year, which would compensate for the carbon dioxide emitted at the same time by human activities. Ten years on, the initiative brings together some 900 partners – States, international organizations, research institutes, local governments, businesses, farming organizations and NGOs – and today is the main international network dedicated to carbon levels in soils. Boosting private sector involvement: Business 4 Land France supports the development of Business 4 Land, an initiative launched during COP16 to enhance businesses’ contribution to the fight against land degradation. Business 4 Land aims to create a dialogue framework between governments, businesses, financial institutions and international organizations in order to encourage private investments that support sustainable land management. The initiative promotes the inclusion of soil-related matters in business strategies, the dissemination of best practices across value chains and the funding of land restoration projects. The Convention encourages the Parties to establish national Business 4 Land hubs. At COP17, France will highlight the launch of the first national hub, which will focus its action on two priorities: - Accelerating the transition of land and forest industries to sustainable practices - Mobilizing the economic sectors whose activities place high pressure on land This approach will also shine a spotlight on the expertise of French businesses in the fields of sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration and the management of natural resources. Photo : Polonio Video /MotionArray