The theme for the COP was “restoring land, restoring hope”, reflecting the importance of aspiration to mobilise all of us to conserve and even restore the planet’s shrinking and beleaguered
By Marioldy Sanchez Santivañez, Drynet Co-Chair and UNCCD CSO Panel member (LAC) UNCCD COP17 brought together governments, civil society and development partners from around the world to discuss pathways for
By Fatima Kaba, Drynet Co-Chair, ENDA Energie (Senegal) COP17 was presented as a COP focused on implementation, action and decision-making to improve people’s livelihoods. Against this backdrop, Parties repeatedly called
By Hanieh Moghani, Cenesta (Iran) At UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, land tenure was no longer treated as a peripheral social concern. It was debated as a condition for successful land
By Hanieh Moghani, Cenesta (Iran) The story of pastoralism at UNCCD COP17, rooted in the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), was championed by Mongolia to correct a
By Maedeh Salimi, Cenesta (Iran) Outside of the main plenary hall, Indigenous Peoples and local communities converged during COP17 to move forward on the substance of their discussions in Riyadh
By Amiya Prapan Chakra Borty, DYDF, Drynet Board Member and UNCCD CSO Panel Member (Asia) From my perspective, based on my experience in Bangladesh and across Asia, the discussions at
By Ana Di Pangracio, FARN (Argentina) COP17 was a powerful reminder that progress on gender equality within multilateral environmental processes cannot be taken for granted. The Convention has built an
By Emmanuel Seck, ENDA Energie, IWG-FSF Member COP17 in Ulaanbaatar marked a significant moment in the process of setting out the future course of the UNCCD when the final report
By Cristal Ange, Fundacion Herencia Ambiental Caribe (Colombia) Ahead of COP17, my main hope was to better understand how civil society actually participates in the UNCCD. I had attended previous
By Gilmer Yuimachi Castro, Bari Wesna (Peru) Participating in COP17 in Mongolia was a very important experience for me, both personally and as a representative of the Asociación Intercultural Bari
Nailejileji Asia Tipap, Indigenous Women Development Affairs (Tanzania) Ahead of UNCCD COP17, I hoped to bring the lived realities, knowledge and priorities of Indigenous pastoralist communities in Tanzania into the
Drynet regularly hosts and features events, workshops, and webinars related to sustainable land management, UNCCD processes, and capacity strengthening for civil society organisations.
Individuals or partner organisations should contact the Drynet secretariat directly through the “Contact” page with relevant drylands-focused event details for consideration.
Many articles feature UNCCD-related topics, including updates on the Conference of the Parties (COP), CRIC meetings, and policy positions related to sustainable land management efforts. However, articles also feature community-based and nature-based approaches that successfully combat land degradation, deforestation and desertification.
