The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) officially opened in Mongolia on August 17, 2026. The Prime Minister N. Uchral delivered the opening address.

Distinguished Heads of Delegation,

Ms. Yasmin Fouad, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification,

Distinguished guests and delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government of Mongolia, I extend my heartfelt greetings to you all and warmly welcome you to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, for the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Distinguished delegates,

We are a family sharing one home – the Earth. All 8.2 billion of us are children of Mother Earth. The efforts of every country are essential to ensuring the long-term survival of our planet.

Across the world, we are witnessing devastating heat, raging wildfires and drying rivers, while in other places extreme cold is gripping communities and glaciers and polar ice are melting. Our languages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and religions may differ, but we share a common determination to protect our future and ensure the long-term well-being of our shared planet.

That is why we have gathered here, united in our efforts to combat desertification, for the sake of our common home, for ourselves and for future generations.

Today, we are beginning a new chapter of collective decision-making on how we can protect and restore the Earth’s land resources and what kind of planet we will leave for future generations.

Since the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in 1994 and entered into force in 1996, countries around the world have recognized desertification, land degradation and drought as shared challenges that transcend national borders and must be addressed collectively by humanity.

One of the international community’s greatest achievements during this period has been bringing land to the center of the development agenda.

Today, the world recognizes that land degradation is no longer simply an issue of soil and vegetation. It is a complex ecosystem issue intrinsically linked to food, water, livelihoods, poverty, health, migration, the economy, peace and security.

Countries have incorporated land degradation neutrality targets into their national policies, developed systems for scientific monitoring and reporting, and increasingly involved the private sector, civil society and local communities alongside governments in land restoration. These are important achievements of the Convention.

Yet the time has come for us to ask ourselves one question boldly and openly:

We talked extensively and made many declarations. But have we succeeded in turning our words into action?

The 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was an important step in advancing land degradation, drought resilience, land restoration, financing, science, innovation, rangelands and pastoralist issues on the global policy agenda.

Subsequently, the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention, held in Panama City, made it even clearer that we need to strengthen implementation at the national level and improve reporting, capacity-building and the science-policy interface.

All previous conferences have produced meaningful outcomes. Yet it is also true that the world has no shortage of goals and commitments. What we need now, more than ever, are the resources, financing, technologies and institutional frameworks to turn those commitments into tangible results.

Therefore, I would like to emphasize that COP17 must be a conference to accelerate implementation, rather than one that simply repeats previous decisions and declarations.

Distinguished delegates,

Mongolia is among the countries most severely affected by the global challenges we face today.

In our vast country, where there are only two people per square kilometer, 77 percent of the country’s territory, nearly eight out of every ten square kilometers, is affected by desertification and land degradation and is increasingly being engulfed by shifting sands.

Since joining the Convention, Mongolia has consistently pursued policies to combat land degradation and desertification. We have established a national target for land degradation neutrality and are integrating sustainable rangeland management, forest, water and soil conservation, and land restoration into our development policies.

Climate change, drought, dzud, water scarcity and rangeland degradation are threatening the livelihoods of pastoral households engaged in our traditional nomadic economy, as well as food and national security, rural development, the economy and the resilience of our nomadic culture.

The “Billion Trees” national movement, initiated by the President of Mongolia, is a clear example of our response. We are not simply planting trees; we are working toward long-term outcomes that restore ecosystems, protect soil, water and biodiversity, and reduce the adverse impacts of climate change.

Mongolia’s cultural traditions and worldview are deeply rooted in respect for and harmony with nature.

As one of the world’s last nomadic peoples, Mongolians have preserved a distinctive way of life: when hunting, our ancestor would leave something for the wolf rather than take everything for themselves; when picking a tree or flower, they would ask nature’s permission; and they have traditionally lived without leaving excess behind. In other words, ours is a culture that does not live to eat but eats to live.

Mongolians have long composed songs and poetry about our mountains, rivers and lakes, bestowed titles and honors upon them, and worshipped and revered them. Yet today, thousands of those once-vibrant blue lakes and crystal-clear rivers remain only in songs, old photographs and images.

One of the most valuable and distinctive aspects of our culture that Mongolia can showcase, share and contribute to the world is our thousands of years of knowledge and traditions associated with rangelands and nomadic pastoralism.

Nomadic pastoralism is a way of life based not on fighting against nature, but on living in harmony with it. By preserving this ancient cultural heritage and using rangelands sustainably, we will continue working to strengthen food systems and pastoral livelihoods, protect biodiversity, soil and water, and build resilience to climate change.

At Mongolia’s initiative, the United Nations has proclaimed 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, creating a historic opportunity to elevate these issues on the global policy agenda.

If we align this opportunity with COP17, Mongolia’s goal will be to help the world understand that rangelands are not merely degraded lands, but vital ecosystems that require investment, generate economic value and connect food, nature and pastoral livelihoods.

For us, restoring land is not an issue that conflicts with development policy. Rather, it is about changing our understanding and approach to the quality and inclusiveness of development.

Our goal is to make environmental protection a driver of economic growth, use natural resources responsibly, and establish the foundations for long-term sustainable development based on innovation, technology and investment.

The Government of Mongolia is implementing the “Unlock” national initiative to free citizens and businesses from bureaucracy, unnecessary regulations and excessive government intervention, while promoting economic freedom, private-sector growth and free competition.

One of the key areas of this initiative is green transition. Under this framework, we have adopted a new Climate Change Law, accelerated the energy transition, and are creating a new era of environmental protection and restoration based on the participation of citizens, the private sector and local communities.

Most importantly, for a landlocked developing country like Mongolia, the green transition offers a pathway to reducing our dependence on fuel and energy, one of the fundamental challenges constraining our economy.

To expand renewable solar and wind energy, address energy shortages, enable every household to become an energy producer, and attract greater investor interest and participation, we have reduced administrative procedures fivefold and shortened the permit approval period from six months to just 11 days.

At a time when fuel supplies are becoming increasingly constrained by various geopolitical factors, we are taking a range of policy and financing measures to expand the use of electric vehicles in private transportation, public transport, mining and freight.

This summer, in partnership with the private sector, we established Mongolia’s first network of 60 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles. This marks the beginning of a nationwide network of green stations.

Building on the newly adopted Climate Change Law and the opportunities available to us in carbon markets, we are developing the “Sunny Mongolia Pastoralist” program.

Our goal is to establish a system in which pastoralists who protect and sustainably use their rangelands earn higher incomes; those who produce high-quality, high-value products receive greater returns; and local communities that restore ecosystems and support renewable energy benefit economically.

We are also gradually introducing artificial intelligence, remote sensing, geographic information systems and satellite technologies into land monitoring and natural resource management.

Another important initiative under is the establishment of a nationwide network of “Smart Green Schools,” providing future generations with sustainable development education in environmentally friendly settings and infrastructure.

Furthermore, based on the characteristics of ecosystems in Mongolia’s cool steppe region, we are creating a legal framework for developing “green data centers” and contributing to global innovation and technological development.

If we can achieve this, we will no longer have to choose between protecting nature and improving people’s livelihoods.

Instead, we can create a new development model in which protecting nature increases incomes, and higher incomes, in turn, strengthen people’s incentives to protect nature, where one reinforces the other.

Distinguished guests and delegates,

The greatest change we seek from COP17 is a shift from words to action, from targets to implementation, and from commitments to measurable results.

Therefore, Mongolia calls on this conference to make tangible progress in the following areas:

First, let us address land, climate and biodiversity not as separate issues, but as interconnected and integrated challenges.

Second, let us increase investment in land restoration and take cooperation among governments, international financial institutions and the private sector to a new level.

Third, let us make drought resilience not merely an environmental policy priority, but a core component of development policy.

Fourth, let us place the knowledge and participation of pastoralists and local communities at the heart of global land management policies.

Fifth, let us turn science, technology and innovation into practical solutions and real investment.

Sixth, let us jointly create an enabling environment that turns commitments into measurable results.

To this end, I call for the establishment of new partnerships with development partners, international financial institutions, the private sector and countries around the world to remove barriers related to financing, technology, capacity and regulation.

Distinguished guests and delegates,

The time remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 is growing increasingly short.

The most important outcome of our gathering here today should not be the adoption of another document containing weak commitments after hours of discussion and negotiation. Rather, it should be concrete agreements that define the next steps, measurable results and partnerships that can be implemented.

For example, as part of preparations for COP17, the Office of the President of Mongolia established the National Green Lab, a public-private partnership platform. It plays an important role in preparing green projects aimed at protecting, sustainably managing and restoring Mongolia’s rangeland ecosystems for investment and connecting them with international financing.

I encourage all delegates and partner organizations to learn more about these projects and support Mongolia’s innovative green initiatives.

As the first country to host and preside over one of the three Rio Conventions’ Conferences of the Parties being held this year, Mongolia is committed to working closely with the presidencies of the other two Rio Conventions to strengthen policy coherence and cooperation.

Mongolia seeks to make this conference a platform for solutions.

We will listen to all voices, respect diverse positions, and support open, transparent and inclusive dialogue based on consensus.

I am confident that the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties, beginning here on the vast steppes of Mongolia, will become a historic turning point – one at which the world recognizes land restoration not merely as an environmental objective, but as a foundation for human development, livelihoods, food security, peace and shared prosperity.

Let us do more together for the planet, the natural home of humanity, so that we may protect it and live in harmony with it for generations to come.

Let us restore nature.

Let us inspire hope.

Let us build our future together.