The short version
- Negotiators at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification are focusing on deploying $12 billion in public funds to address land degradation and drought in vulnerable nations.
- The summit highlights a shift in geopolitical dynamics, with Saudi Arabia emerging as a key financial backer despite its historical resistance to broader climate finance mechanisms.
- Experts warn that current pledges fall drastically short of the estimated $2.6 trillion required by 2030 to effectively restore degraded lands and ensure global food security.
The United Nations’ biennial conference on desertification has commenced in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under heightened scrutiny due to escalating extreme weather events across the northern hemisphere. As wildfires ravage parts of North America and Europe while severe heatwaves impact millions in Asia, the urgency surrounding land degradation and drought management has intensified. The seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) marks a critical juncture for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which seeks to translate previous financial pledges into actionable projects aimed at stabilizing ecosystems and securing food supplies in developing regions.
Central to this week’s negotiations is the allocation of more than $12 billion, a sum pledged by various nations and institutions over the past two years. This funding is designated to assist seventy-four countries severely affected by drought and soil degradation. Yasmine Fouad, the executive secretary of the UNCCD, emphasized that these discussions serve as a demonstration of effective multilateral cooperation. The primary objective is to move beyond rhetorical commitments and implement concrete measures that restore productive soil, thereby directly addressing global food security concerns exacerbated by recent climate anomalies.
The financial landscape for environmental treaties has historically been uneven. Signed in 1992 alongside the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the desertification treaty has often been overshadowed by its counterparts, receiving less attention and fewer resources. However, this dynamic appears to be shifting as nations recognize the direct link between land health and economic stability. The current focus includes operationalizing the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, established in 2024, which serves as a vehicle for distributing these funds through initiatives such as improved irrigation systems, drought-resistant crop planting, and enhanced rainwater storage infrastructure.
A notable development in this arena is the increased engagement of Saudi Arabia, a country previously known for obstructing discussions on fossil fuels and climate finance at other UN forums. The kingdom, which hosted the previous summit in 2024, has become an enthusiastic supporter of the UNCCD, pledging hundreds of millions of dollars individually and facilitating larger collective commitments through allied institutions. Osama Faqeeha, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister of environment, described the previous conference as a turning point in global awareness regarding land management. This shift underscores a growing recognition that land degradation impacts not only local populations but also global biodiversity, water security, and climate resilience.
Despite these advances, significant challenges remain regarding the scale of investment required. UNCCD estimates indicate that approximately $2.6 trillion will be needed cumulatively by the end of this decade to adequately repair degraded land, halt desertification, and restore soils. The current $12 billion pledge, while a substantial step forward, represents only a fraction of this total requirement. Furthermore, all pledged funds thus far originate from public sector sources. Organizers are actively seeking to engage private sector entities, including food producers and textile manufacturers, whose operations depend heavily on stable water supplies and agricultural yields, to contribute additional resources.
The implications of these negotiations extend beyond environmental metrics to immediate humanitarian concerns. The World Food Programme has warned that the developing super El Niño weather system could push an additional fifty million people into hunger, compounding existing food price rises driven by harvest failures. Fouad noted that restoring land is intrinsically linked to ensuring food security, arguing that this narrative must be central to financial initiatives. Advocacy groups, such as Commonland, are urging wealthy nations to view funding for land restoration in poorer countries as a direct investment in their own national security and supply chain stability.
The United States remains a participant in the UNCCD process, maintaining its membership despite withdrawing from the Paris Agreement under the Trump administration. This distinction highlights the fragmented nature of international climate diplomacy, where specific environmental issues may still garner cooperation even when broader frameworks face political opposition. The summit runs until August 28, with delegates working to finalize how the allocated funds will be distributed and managed to ensure they reach the most vulnerable communities effectively.
Critics and advocates alike stress that without substantial increases in both public and private financing, the gap between ambition and reality will widen. Lily Maxwell-Lwin of Commonland argued that rich countries must acknowledge that degraded land abroad poses a direct threat to their own food security and migration patterns. The success of COP17 will likely be measured not just by the announcements made in Ulaanbaatar, but by the tangible progress in converting drought management plans into implemented projects on the ground.
As the conference concludes, the international community faces the task of bridging the financial chasm between current pledges and long-term needs. The operationalization of the Riyadh partnership offers a structured approach to this challenge, but its effectiveness will depend on sustained political will and innovative financing mechanisms. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, the pressure to deliver results from this summit is unprecedented, making the outcomes of these negotiations critical for global environmental and economic stability.
The broader significance of this gathering lies in its potential to redefine how the international community addresses land degradation. By integrating food security narratives into financial discussions and securing commitments from diverse geopolitical actors, the UNCCD aims to elevate its status among environmental treaties. The coming weeks will reveal whether this momentum can translate into lasting institutional changes and sufficient resource mobilization to combat the escalating crisis of desertification.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian US↗Spotlight on UN desertification summit as it mulls how to spend $12bn war chest
