Ministerial dialogue on Drought Resilience - UNCCD COP17

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. We are about to start. Thank you.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.

We are about to start the ministerial dialogue. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, we are about to start the ministerial dialogue.

Please take your seats so that the meeting can start.

Thank you.

Dear ministers, please be seated.

We are about to start the sixth.

Meeting on draft resolutions within COP17 and so we are starting the second ministerial meeting on the subject matter. So as per the so this ministerial I would like to welcome you warmly at this ministerial dialogue on drought resilience. So in particular, I would like to recognize the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia.

The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations.

The Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the many ministers.

And Vice Minister present in the hall today. Now, I give the floor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, His Excellency Nombatair Nyamtsaikh.

The floor is yours, Minister.

Hello. Excellencies, ministers, heads of delegation, representatives of international organizations and financial institutions, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen, good morning. On behalf of the government of Mongolia, I warmly welcome you to Ulaanbaatar and to World Day during the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This convention brings together 197 parties, 196 countries and the European Union. Mongolia speaks as a dry land country, but our message is global. No country is immune to water risk, and no country can build lasting resilience alone. Drought is more than a lack of rain. It threatens water, land, food, energy, health, livelihoods, and stability. Its scale is global. but its impact is local. A spring that stops flowing, a pasture that cannot recover, a family that loses income. Mongolia knows this reality. Our 2026 national assessment found that 81.9% of our territory is affected by desertification. For us, drought resilience is not an abstract policy goal. It's about protecting our people, economy, and pastoral heritage built over centuries. Our central proposition is simple. Water security and land health must be managed as a single system. Healthy soils, range lands, forests, wetlands, waterheads capture and retain water. They support groundwater recharge, reduce erosion, and help communities withstand dry years. We cannot restore land without water, nor we can secure water without healthy land. Today, on behalf of the government of Mongolia, I'm proud to announce the launch of Mongolia's Water-Land Nexus Initiative, a central pillar of our broader step action agenda. As a key legacy of COP17, the step action agenda will bring governments, businesses, financial institutions and communities, civil society and science together to turn ambition into action and invest at scale. Alongside the Water-Land Nexus Initiative, it will advance A rangeland flagship initiative to restore rangeland and strengthen pastoralist resilience and livelihoods. And nature-based solutions for sustainable infrastructure initiative to integrate green, blue, hybrid approaches to infrastructure supported by data, digital tools, and AI. This broader agenda, the Water-Land Nexus Initiative provides practical platform for actions under the UNCCD framework, connecting national priorities with regional and global cooperation, measurable results and solutions countries can adopt to their landscapes. Its first pillar is the policy and knowledge, integrating land, water, and drought risk into accountable plans, budgets, and investment decisions supported by reliable data, early warning, science, and local knowledge. Its second pillar is scalable landscape solutions, sustainable rangeland, and soil management, watershed and wetland recovery, water harvesting, soil moisture, conservation and responsible groundwater management. Its third pillar is partnership and finance, preparing creditable programs, identifying demonstration landscapes and engaging public, private and blended finance. Success will mean more water retained in landscapes, more land restored, lower drought risk, and stronger livelihoods. Mongolia invites all parties, United Nations entities, development bank, researchers, civil society, communities, and responsible businesses to help shape this initiative, share knowledge and technology, and scale up effective solutions. It will complement existing UNCCD and global mechanism, not duplicate them. Our global proposal is grounded in action at home, centered on Mongolia's national Blue Horse Initiative, replicable further by other countries facing similar risks. Blue Horse aims to retain seasonal water, expand reservoirs and local ponds, restore rivers and springs, and improve water availability in the Gobi region. It must be paired with water conservation, treated water reuse, and stronger groundwater management. The Blue Horse is a Mongolian response to Mongolian conditions. Not a one model fits all for every country. But its principle is universal. Store water when it's available, protect groundwater when it's scarce, and find water infrastructure alongside land restoration and ecosystem protection. Every investment decision will be guided by sound science, ecological limits, safety, transparent consultation, and downstream impacts. Infrastructure matters, but the water security cannot be built with concrete alone. Healthy landscapes are also water infrastructure. We must observe earlier, decide earlier, act earlier, and finance earlier. From Mongolia, let us send clear message to all 197 parties. Water links healthy land, secure food, stable communities, and peace. Let us restore the land's capacity to hold water. Let us protect the water that sustains the land. Let us act now and finance resilience before loss. Mongolia stands ready to work with all parties and partners to translate this effort into practical cooperation and tangible results for the people in the places facing drought today. Let us turn this moment into sustained action. Thank you.

Deputy Prime Minister Nombabayar, thank you very much. Now, I have an honor to invite the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina Mohamed.

Your Excellency, the Deputy Prime Minister, Your Excellency, our COP President, the Minister of Environment, Your Excellency, Dr. Osama, the COP16 President, my sister, Yasmin Fouad, the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, and may I recognize my brother, Ibrahim Attia, the former Executive Secretary of UNCCD. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I would like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and the government of Mongolia for bringing us together yet again and the warmth of your welcome. The world has become very good at measuring drought. We can see it developing from space, models where it will spread and estimate what it will cost. Yet we still struggle to respond in time to inform those decisions needed before it is too late. We wait until crops have failed, we wait until families have lost livestock and food prices are rising. Then we call it an emergency and begin paying for the damage. The economics of it makes absolutely no sense. Drought already affects the livelihoods of 1.8 billion people and the cost to the global economy at least $300 billion every year. COP17 has to get us ahead of that curve. And so there is a twin track approach that I believe we need to take. First, prevent the drought from becoming a crisis. In parallel, build a sustained international cooperation of countries need to do over time. Four things would make an immediate difference. First, informed national drought plans have to guide the decisions governments make so that drought is addressed as an integral part and not as add-on. Many countries already have these plans. Together, they contain thousands of measures that could protect land and the people who depend on it. However, the weakest link is the implementation strategy, linking those plans to government budgets and investments. And this really should change. A national drought plan should guide public spending and investments in agriculture, water, and other related sectors. Second, money has to move sooner with a sense of urgency. We hesitate to pay for prevention, knowing full well we will pay for far more once the crisis hits, including in lives. Australia's Future Drought Fund shows us what predictability can make possible, with 100 million Australian dollars every year for preparedness. It helps farmers and region plan before conditions become an emergency and build back better after the crisis. Countries facing greater risks need access to the same kind of certainty. They need support to turn their drought plans into programs that can attract investment and deliver those projects on the ground. Third, data and knowledge have to lead somewhere. Too often, early warnings do not translate into early action. Anticipatory action can close that gap by putting in place pre-agreed triggers, pre-agreed plans, and pre-arranged financing so that forecasts lead to action before those drought impacts unfold. We see a good example in Brazil's drought monitor. It brings more than 60 institutions around a common assessment, combining rainfall and water data with observation from people in affected areas so governments can see where conditions are worsening and decide then when to act. And fourth, the national action should connect across borders. Drought makes plain what the triple planetary crisis has taught us. No country can manage these risks alone. Climate does not respect borders. A national plan can only carry a country so far when the same drought is unfolding across shared water sources and regional food supply chains. An integrated global approach should connect national plans with regional systems and make international support available before those systems are overwhelmed. IGAD offers a good example. Governments in the Horn of Africa share climate information and early warnings. This gives neighboring countries a common picture of the threat and more time to coordinate that response. Excellencies and colleagues, those four actions can begin immediately, building on the technical and financial foundations strengthened at COP16 in Riyadh. The second track concerns a future form of international cooperation, the central political issue that COP16 could not resolve. That unfinished work now comes to COP17. As you all know, parties have different views on whether cooperation should take the form of a legally binding protocol, a stronger implementation through existing arrangements, or a combination of both approaches. Those differences are substantive, and they deserve determined political will and engagement. It matters because the people at the end of a resolution are not words on paper, they are the objective of the outcomes they expect us to deliver. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ensured that that engagement continued after Riyadh. Through the TAFOL process, it gave parties space to clarify their positions and rebuild trust ahead of this COP. And I'd like to thank the Kingdom for undertaking this important work, which has created a stronger foundation for progress here in Ulaanbaatar. I would encourage all of you to build on that effort, find the consensus, provide the political mandate and direction that is needed. The message from ministers today needs to be clear, accelerate implementation through the institutions and the financial mechanisms available now. while continuing serious work towards a durable form of international cooperation. The United Nations will continue to work alongside governments to support that effort. Our resident coordinators in countries can help bring our UN expertise and our financing partners behind national priorities, while the UNCCD connects that country action with the wider international processes. I'll end by saying that the next drought is already beginning somewhere. And that's somewhere from rainfall deficits in the Horn of Africa to critical drought conditions across parts of Europe. The question is whether we act on those warnings before they become the next crisis. Let's leave here determined to act for those we serve as they have every right to expect nothing less.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Mongolia, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Deputy Secretary General, Professor from University of Arizona, COP16 President, Dr. Ousama, Excellencies and Heads of Delegation. Let me start by reiterating the thanks and appreciation of the UNCCD to the COP16 Presidency. And yes, at two levels, at uplifting drought at the global agenda, working and continuing to working on the RGTRP. And today we have for the second time in two weeks, what's called the assembly partners convening everyone around the table and for an extraordinary work that has been appreciated on the informal process of the FAO. And I would like also to recognize the work of the drought to my dear brother and colleague Ibrahim Thiao. And yes, we will be convening the drought decision, and that will be a collective work. That is not a credit that will be given to that, the case of the secretariat, but for everyone who has been working on that. Thank you, Mongolia, for bringing us, for convening the ministerial dialogue, but also placing drought resilience at the top of the agenda. And a very good example of that is that not only the Minister of Environment, but also the Deputy Prime Minister is here today. What we're having in front of us, adding to what the Deputy Secretary General has already mentioned, is a drought that is becoming more frequent, intense, costly, and prolonged. El Nino has showed us this year what we have never ever imagined or the science had ever given us that in the last 10 years. parts and regions of the world that has already been affected severely by drought and people in different parts has been suffering from water scarcity and adding to that the already existing challenge of the heat waves of the climate change the question that we have in front of us now Do we want to react after the crisis or we want to react before the crisis? And it's not only about the cost, it's about preparedness, early warning system and anticipatory action that can significantly reduce the losses because there are people who is dying from drought and drawing from heat waves and reduce the human suffering and reduce the cost and reduce whether we like it or not, the illegal migration and the stability of communities because of drought. What I would like here to say from Mongolia, they say when the rain fail in summer, hardship follows in winter. You can never anticipate how much we are having within this spectrum. What we need right now is five things. First, a political momentum that I saw last week and will see this week with the ministers present. We need to leave Ulaanbaatar with the decision being gavelled on drought, and we cannot wait no more. The means of implementation at the heart of that, thank you. that will act as the hands and feet that will let us move together into that. And here we have something solid. We have been working on that with the COP16 presidency, with partners. People maybe were not there in Riyadh, but they joined the table and they are with us today in the assembly partners. We have the Riyadh Global Drought Partnership with the secretariat that we're trying to launch with the fund and with the 12 billion that was promised. We have the IDRA International Drought Resilience Alliance co-chaired by Senegal and Spain for advocacy and political momentum and technical assistance we had the IDRO International Drought Resilient Observatory to give the countries the very accurate information on their capacity of adaptation but where best to invest and we have much more instruments like the Jeff replenishment 9 and much more what I'm saying here is not creating means of implementation or coming to COP17 launching new ones. I'm talking about operationalizing that. So whether a decision would be covered or not, we will continue moving because that's the COP of implementation. But that would be very nice if we were able to have both. leaving a lambatar with an ambitious decision uplifting drought at the high and I saw that with the negotiator with the ministers here that we will have a constructive dialogue and will have a a drought decision galv and embedded in that the means of implementation that we will start working on in 2027 I'm sure we will be able to make that happen secondly the policy and the science will continue to inform us we will continue to work on the coherence of policy at all levels. And last but not least, the investment. We cannot continue looking at the drought on only concessional finance or aid or grants. We will move the needle to start working on investment of a pipeline of the national drought plans. And we can make the land story bankable. Ten years ago, when Paris Agreement came, no one thought that renewable energy would be bankable. The cost was very high. Now, from here, we can start walking together to show the bankability of land and drought. And we have the drought resilient investment facility by Luxembourg that will be also part of our discussion came to the risk. The capital will be the other kind of the coin for the RGTRP. I leave this high level dialogue with one statement. We will continue to listen to parties how to make that happen at the national level because without the national and without the locals, the vulnerable, how they would like these solutions to be shaped, we will be having funds but maybe this will not be spent in the most appropriate way that we would like it. And we will hear thoroughly and take this into implementation. Again, let us leave Ulaanbaatar feeling proud of ourselves, able to look in the eyes of our people back in our home country saying we had both a drought decision and a means of implementation. Thank you all very much.

Well, Miss Yasmin Fard, thank you very much for such an inspiring statement.

Now we are switching to the keynote speeches.

And as a first speaker, I invite the professor of Arizona University, Mr. James.

Amelie, the podium is yours.

Good morning. I'm a professor, so I'm waiting for my slides to appear. And while we're doing that, I want to thank everyone, your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, for giving me the opportunity to come here today. It's really a privilege. How are we doing on our slides? I'm just going to push the button here and open this. Oh, there we go. Fantastic. All right. So thanks very much. I really do appreciate the opportunity and really appreciate your excellencies. These opening remarks were really, really amazing. So I want to talk about briefly the research that our team has been doing on continental drying. what it is, what it means for the role of water, and the rapid expansion of the drylands, the long-term decline of freshwater availability, and the urgent need to use these data and metrics to set science-based targets and to drive policy innovations in your home countries, your shared river basins, and your groundwater aquifers, and of course, globally across the Rio Conventions. My team has been researching the use of the NASA DLR GRACE satellite missions to track changing freshwater availability for three decades. The picture that emerges is startling, it's compelling, and it's urgent. This first map constructed using data from 2002 to 2016 shows the rates at which regions around the world are losing water in red gaining water in blue. These are maps of changes in total water storage, the combination of snow and surface water and soil moisture and groundwater together, a holistic proxy for freshwater availability. Now let's compare this first map to a second map, a new map that was published just a year ago. So the older map, the newer map using eight more years of data. We see a significant increase in the reds, that is a major expansion in the regions of the world that are getting drier. Furthermore, we see a shift from more isolated, distinct hotspots for drying to the emergence of dominant continental scale mega drying regions across Canada, high latitude Russia, southwestern North America, and the vast MENA Pan-Eurasia region. We also found that while the dry areas of the world continue to get drier and the wet areas continue to get wetter, that the dry areas here multiplied by minus one so we can compare, the dry areas are getting drier faster than the wet areas are getting wetter. Looking across the latitudes, in fact, we see that only the tropics are the only region on the planet that is still getting wetter. Continental drying is expanding by roughly two times the area of California or Morocco or Iran each year. Our estimated rate of drying in the non-glaciated regions shown to the right on this slide with the corresponding decrease in the areas that are getting wetter, that are literally getting squeezed out, is over four times greater than the UNCCD 2024 report, likely due to the inclusion of groundwater depletion and permafrost thawing in our estimates. We understand these trends quite well. They're due to ice sheets melting. They're due to glaciers and ice caps melting, to groundwater depletion, to mid-latitude drying and aridification, to increasing flooding and drought, high-latitude melting and thawing, and tropical wetting. The trends are robust. They're generally associated with fixed geographic locations like mountains and glaciers and aquifers and irrigated food production, and they are unlikely to change. Our work has revealed the central role of unsustainable land use and water management and in particular its impact on groundwater depletion as an amplification to continental drying. These maps show that over half of the world's major aquifers and transboundary aquifers are being rapidly depleted. In the drying regions of the continent, groundwater storage change accounts for over two-thirds, 68% of the freshwater losses. Overall, net freshwater, global freshwater availability due to continental drying has persistently declined over the last quarter century, as shown to the right on the slide, in what I essentially now think of as a Keeling curve, a CO2 curve for global freshwater availability that is reproducible across scales. 75% of the world's population lives in the 101 countries that have lost water over the last 20 years. The losses are amplified by unsustainable land use decisions and groundwater depletion in the world's arid and semi-arid regions. So where do we go from here? How do we stop the spread of continental drying and groundwater depletion? First, we have to use these data to drive policy and management innovations. The longevity of the GRACE mission and the continuity, there'll be another mission launched in 2028, means that they are now the equivalent of Landsat for water. Please use them to set science-based targets we can help. Second, let's work together for greatly expanded groundwater protection. within our countries and within UN frameworks. I hope that this talk has convinced you that groundwater is among the most valuable natural resources in the world's drylands. Part of that protection means regional and global coordination towards ending depletion of non-renewable groundwater resources. Finally, we need to raise awareness of the threat of continental drawing to that of carbon dioxide across the Rio conventions. Let's work together to show just how tightly changing water availability and desertification and biodiversity and climate change are so tightly linked. Thank you very much.

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In the view of the many speakers inscribed for this ministerial dialogue, I kindly request all panelists and speakers to limit their statements. three minutes to ensure the inclusivity of ministerial dialogue.

As previously indicated, ministers and vice ministers have been given priority on the list of speakers. Time limits of the ministerial dialogues are mechanically enforced and a timer is projected on the screen to assist speakers in managing their time.

I have asked Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, former Executive Secretary of UNCCD, to moderate the panel discussions on my behalf. I now invite the moderator and the first panel to assume their seats at the podium. I now give the floor to Mr. Tiel.

Is it working? Okay. Good morning, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. So pleased to be here. First of all, let me express my gratitude to Yasmin Fouad, the Executive Secretary, and her team for kindly inviting me to this Conference of the Parties. It's amazing to see how this Conference of the Parties is happening. I also want to congratulate Mongolia and to thank them for hosting this magnificent COP. We have a number of panelists here which I would like to kindly invite to the podium. I think we have enough seats. Dr. Osama Fakiha from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Osama is the Deputy Minister for Environment. I will just introduce them as they come to the podium. He has been, he has played a very important role in hosting COP16 of the UNCCD, supporting the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Mr. Al-Fadly. Dr. Osama, welcome. Next is Barbara Pompili who is Ambassador at Large for the Environment of France. Barbara is a politician, prominent politician, a member of the Parliament elected since 2012 and has served mainly as Minister for the Ecological Transition from 2020 to 2022 and now is, I mean she organized the one water summit in 2024, five, 2025. And is now Francis ambassador at large for the environment. Her excellency next is her excellency Miss Amna bin Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi who is minister for climate change and environment of the United Arab Emirates. Um she holds a PhD on in computer engineering from Khalifa University and served as the spokesperson for the UAE government during the COVID-19 pandemic and she serves now as Minister of Climate Change and the Environment since January 2024. I also have Her Excellency Mrs. Martine Schommer, who is Special Envoy for Foreign Affairs, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Ms. Schommer is a diplomat and served as a main responsible for the Uruguay Round related to international trade negotiations. and in 1998 she was appointed as ambassador to the popular Republic of China serving in Mongolia Singapore and Vietnam so she knows Mongolia very well welcome next is his Excellency Mr. honey civil am civil am Minister of water resources and irrigation of the Arab Republic of Egypt Professor Sivillam, he earns a PhD in water resources management from Aachen University in Germany and served as director of the UNESCO Chair of Hydrological Change and Water Resources Management at the same university in Germany and now is Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation serving since August 2022. Next is Maria Jesus Rodriguez de Sancho, the general director of biodiversity forest and desertification of the kingdom of Spain. She has helped key environmental leadership roles including serving as director general for biodiversity forest and desertification in Spain and through her career, She specialized in forest policy, environmental quality, and climate change management. So we have a superb panel. Ladies and gentlemen, please give your hands to the panelists. Drought is not something new to us. And you heard from the previous speakers a sort of diagnosis. I would like us to remember drought for the five following things. And I name them flame. F for food insecurity. And water crisis. We know it is very severe. It can be extremely severe and it can lead to humanitarian crisis. L for lack of energy. With drought, we have severe energy shortages, not only in terms of hydropower generation, but even nuclear power generation is being affected by drought. We will hear from our panelists. A, drought ablazes forests. We see the forest fires throughout the world, especially in Europe right now. So we'll also hear from our panelists. M for migration, it amplifies forced migrations from around the world and E for economic trade disruption. I don't know how many people know that the Panama Canal is as we speak affected by drought once again this year as it was in 2023 and 2024 and that is 5% of the global trade in the world going through that that Panama Canal. So Economic trade disruption is something that we should also consider. So like a flame, drought spreads fast, turning local scarcity into global security threats. So let us hear more from our panelists. And I would like to invite first Dr. Osama Fakiha from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Osama, you have hosted COP16. and certainly drought was at the heart of that conversation. I would like to hear from you how you see as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also as a major player as outgoing as the former president of this COP, how we can shift from a reactive crisis response approach to a more proactive approach. Thank you very much.

Dr. Ibrahim.

I think the first important thing we need to recognize the severe impact of drought and the multifaceted nature of the impacts that is impact water security, food security, and social well-being, and also impact biodiversity. you know, we are now, you know, we hear about the fires now in Spain because of dry conditions and also Greece now, few years ago, there is major fires in Australia. So there is a huge impact of droughts, even biodiversity also, we have the wetlands are impacted as well, but also it has impact, as you mentioned, on the trade as well as in power generation, many countries in Latin America and Asia where we they witness hydroelectric power capacity decline because of drought. So it is global. There is no country is immune from drought. I think number one, we need to elevate the global awareness and focus about drought. It's not a local issue. It is a global challenge. We need to raise the political well and support for addressing drought as well. Secondly, we need to also deploy the finance at scale. We just heard, you know, Her Excellency, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, the Under Secretary General of United Nations talking about about 350 billion or or more of the accounted, what has been accounted for the impacts of drought. And I think if we account also for ecosystem services and other factors, I think the figure will even climb. So the challenge is huge. And we need to pool resources and act together. We in Saudi Arabia, we have been witnessing and experiencing drought for centuries. And we have the national water strategy where we focus on enhancing the use of renewable water resources and reducing the pressures on non-renewable water resources, reducing the energy penalty for producing desalinated water, adopted the national agriculture strategy because agriculture consumes 72% of water resources globally, so it has to be part of the mix. And we are moving globally because we, not only we are the most arid region, but also we need to be more active. So we launched.

Thank you very much, Dr. Osama. I'm sorry for, you know, the way time is being managed, but we have to do that otherwise we will be running out of time. Madam Barbara Pompili, who's at in the diplomat, the-- Your.

You're an outstanding diplomat and your country France is right now affected by droughts. It's exceptional, unprecedented, whose cost is estimated between 10 and 15 billion euros. A drought which is affecting obviously energy production including in the nuclear, in the French nuclear plants. What lessons can you learn from this episode and what lessons would you like to share with the rest of the world when it comes to the policies implemented by the French Republic

thank you good morning everybody yes France Like all Western Europe is this summer going through a early severe heat wave with huge impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, and even when it comes to access to drinking water for our populations, the situation confirms that now that those droughts aren't just exceptional, but will be increasingly common. And we have to adapt. France has already started, but we have measures that we'll need to continue to build on. We've established a four level system. Each level unleashes restrictions on irrigations, using water, and local authorities decide on this at the level of each basin. This system is based on an essential principle, priority must be established in advance, a priority of use, to make sure that it's not improvised just in the middle of the crisis. The second big decision that we've launched is a national action plan for resilient concerted water management system to ensure proper usage by all actors, optimize availability of resources and preserve the quality of water. Obviously, this comes together with a financial commitment from the state. The state has bolstered the resources of the water agencies to help local authorities in securing their drinking water networks. Finally, it also means community level governance transparency. Each citizen can find out in real time in France via national online platform, the level of restrictions in their region. It's also a condition of acceptability of those measures for the long term. What lessons can be learned from all this? First of all, we see that emergency restrictions are important. They provide relief, but they don't build in for the future. We need to plan in advance, the hydrological follow-up in advance. It needs a clear prioritization of users. We need to establish this with stakeholders. Where are the priorities in the times of hydric stress? And finally, Resilience to drought cannot be conceived independently from soil and land restoration. It's the whole link between the convention and the global water agenda. So for us, investment as a priority must be in data, in anticipation systems upstream, reducing leaks in the network. stockpiling in watersheds, nature-based solutions, which sometimes if you get they're very effective, and finally predictable long-term financing at local authority level. So today we need to view drought, including in countries like our own, as a structural parameter with which our public policy must It must be part of all our reflections on economic policy when it comes to agriculture, but also industry, the digital area, water is everything and it must be integrated into all areas. Thank you.

Thank you very much. That is very clear. Thank you so much for this. Let us move now to the United Arab Emirates, a dry country severely affected by desertification and water crisis. but the United Arab Emirates is doing absolutely a fascinating work in terms of providing clean water for everybody despite exceptional conditions. So Minister, can you tell us more about your national experiences and how what do you want to share with the rest of the world in terms of your achievements and your ambitions?

Thank you and good morning to everyone. It's such a pleasure to be joining in such an important dialogue on a pressing matter one of the most pressing challenges in our times situated in one of the most hyper arid regions the UAE have always embraced from the very beginning its desert landscape and have forged a very sustainable and resilient route to long-term development through decades of experience we have learned how to embed proactive resilience into policy, technology, and long-term national planning. To achieve this, the UAE have established the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036. This strategy has been developed with a very comprehensive national perspective, a strategy that covers every element through the water supply chain across the country and through a whole of government approach. There is an overarching objective for this strategy to ensure both sustainability of resources as well as uninterrupted access to water, both under normal and extreme emergency conditions. Guided by this strategic framework, we have successfully scaled energy efficient desalination. We are home to some of the world's largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination plants such as the wheel of plants in Abu Dhabi the UAE has set new benchmarks for both efficiency and cost of water produced through the UAE as well research program for rain enhancement science we are advancing cloud seeding with AI driven Innovations to augment natural rainfall our mission is extends beyond increasing rainfall in the UAE we through the international programs to develop scalable solutions that strengthen global resilience. Our experience demonstrates that transitioning from reactive crisis management to proactive drought resilience globally relies on three main pillars. One, is forward-looking governance. We need to implement integrated national strategies that link water, land restoration and climate adaptation together. And that very much links to what the keynote speaker have presented earlier. Second, science and early warning, utilizing science, real time data and forecasting to trigger the anti anticipatory actions before drought impact compound third sustainable Finance which is essential to mobilizing public private and blended Finance to scale resilient infrastructure and also resort to nature-based solution transforming the national lessons into Global resilience requires the political leadership and International solidarity and that's what the UAE is doing in collaboration with Senegal by co-hosting the UAE the and water conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi next December the conference is going to become an action oriented platform to Elevate water on the global uh political agenda mobilizing Finance and also advancing the the development and implementation of sdg6 across six main interactive dialogues that focus on people Prosperity Planet cooperation multilateral processes and Investments aim to drive tangible outcomes and partnerships. And we warmly invite all member countries and states and international partners to join us in Abu Dhabi to turn all of our shared commitments from here in Ulaanbaatar to Abu Dhabi to global lasting global actions. Drought resilience is at the heart of water security and the cost of proactive preparation is a fraction of the cost of emergency response. We must commit to act early, wisely and build a drought resilient future. Thank you.

Minister, thank you very much. And again, congratulations on this amazing work that you are doing despite the very exceptional conditions.

We'll now move to Luxembourg. Who would have thought that a country such as Luxembourg would be affected by drought? And yet, in 2022, something quite exceptional happened. in this small green country, water levels became extremely low. Some rivers started to dry up. And in July 2026, something else occurred. It was actually exactly the same thing. And this could perhaps send out a message that something structural is changing in a country such as Luxembourg. This isn't just a single unique case in Europe, it's symbolic, quite a major case. Madam Schomer, what measures has Luxembourg taken nationally and regionally and even internationally, if you could elaborate on that, and what lessons can we learn as a country such as Luxembourg, which probably wasn't prepared enough because it was something quite exceptional, and what adaptation measures have been taken at this point in time? Thank you.

Thank you very much. Yes, what is exceptional is almost becoming the norm. Following a severe drought in 2022, we're facing the same situation this year. The low water levels have led our government to suspend abstraction of water from all surface areas and activate a vigilance phase as regards the supply of drinking water. Our strategy and action plan for adaptation to climate change 2025-2035 specifically mentions this finding. Therefore, we need to move from reaction to anticipation and from crisis management to resilience. Luxembourg has strengthened its adaptation framework with 152 measures spread out across seven areas of action, including water, agriculture, soil, forests, biodiversity, economy and international cooperation. The goal is to incorporate adaptation into all of our public policies rather than dealing each consequence of climate change separately and excessive consumption of natural resources. Our forests very specifically highlight this new vulnerability. In 1984, about 80% of our trees were in good health. and in 2024 only 15% of our trees are now in good health. In face of this challenge, cooperation with our neighboring countries is a real asset and drought recalls us to something that's quite obvious, water, river sheds and ecosystems do not stop at the border. We are lucky enough to be able to rely on cross-border cooperation which is close and efficient when it comes to international river basins of Moselle down to the Rhine. The data sharing and the oversight of water flows and water sources and regular exchanges between authorities enable us to better understand developments when it comes to all of the river basin and to better anticipate periods of tension. This excellent cooperation with our neighboring countries is a key element when it comes to our collective resilience, and it is this same approach of solidarity and cooperation which guides our international action. Luxembourg believes that strengthening drought resilience at home must go hand in hand with active contribution to the countries efforts who face for a very long time now even more severe situations. It's precisely against that backdrop that Luxembourg supports the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, which has made it possible to give new impetus, political impetus to international action in favour of drought resilience and drought. The drought resilience investment facility which we are developing with UNCCD and which will be officially launched today in 20 minutes time is a rapid, precise translation of reflection of that ambition. This ambition is to contribute to developing the way in which we fund resilience. investing before a crisis, before a crisis occurs, and using public resources in a catalyst fashion so as to mobilize private additional capital so as to find sustainable solutions. Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed.

To Egypt, if there is one country in the world that history told us that they suffered they have they have been suffering droughts for millennia. It's Egypt. We know it from from the holy books. So this is a country that has been confronted with this issue for long long period of time. But something new is happening. The frequency and the severity of droughts is something new. So no surprise that the minister who is talking to us here is a specialist of water. So can you share with us Minister Sevilan and I understand you have a statement to make after that. Maybe you can do both at the same time. What measures have been taken by Egypt given the new situation and what can we learn from Egypt? Thank you.

Thank you very much. the moderator for the introduction. I will try to merge both messages together, the statement together with the reply to the question for the sake of time. So thanks for the government of Mongolia for hosting this very important. Also thanks for Saudi Arabia represented by Dr. Osama for hosting the previous COP. And I ask you to pray for us for hosting the next COP next year. Yes, we have to prepare for drought before it becomes a crisis. And in Egypt, we do have some good experience that we would like to share with you today. At the national level, the situation in Egypt is very difficult when it comes to water resources and available resources because We have 110 million inhabitant and we have 10 million immigrants in the country. And that's why the water share per capita is dropping not only below the water poverty, but it's dropping below the absolute water scarcity. And that makes the life very difficult. And the task of a water minister is very challenging. But we do have some solutions to deal with. We are not managing water in a traditional and typical way. We are managing scarcity. So we do manage the scarcity. We do manage the scarcity by enhancing or continuous enhancement of water efficiency, water distribution in the country. And we move normally from the traditional irrigation to the drip irrigation and even beyond that in some areas, of course, you cannot move to efficient or the most efficient technique. because you have saline soil and you have many other challenges but in some other cases we are moving to the latest technology we are you moving to produce more crops with less water through the hydroponics and aquaponics Technologies and So water efficiency is one important pillar of how to manage scarcity and be prepared for the drought period. But also we are very intensively recycling our water. We are now recycling 23 billion cubic meter of water, mainly agricultural wastewater. So the farmer in upper Egypt is using the water and the drainage water from the agriculture is used again in the northern part of Egypt for the second time for another farmer to irrigate their crops. using subsurface drainage system under the entire Nile Delta, we have subsurface drainage pipeline that we collect the water after being used for the second time, send it to the three biggest water treatment planet or earth. And it doesn't mean that we are very rich to have these three biggest water treatment plants on earth that are recycling 4.8 billion cubic meter per year and sending them to the third farmer in the eastern part and the western part of the country in order to recycle the water for the third time in the country. So that's our experience with recycling and managing scarcity. But That's not enough. We have also to identify our hotspots and enhance their resilience. So we have to identify which areas are most vulnerable to drought and we have to enhance their resilience by enhancing the resilience of our water infrastructure, by enhancing the resilience of the farmers themselves. So they have to understand that there is a climate change, there is a change in the pattern of agriculture sector. And also we, use data to move from just collecting data to operational decisions by moving to the second generation of our water system in Egypt and what we mean by second generation is really employing technology for enhancing the water distribution water efficiency uh crop production Etc so we are dependent on satellite for uh calculating our crop water requirements we are using drones for example for identifying the water stress areas and we manage uh this with the farmers in this is a new Trend I'm not saying that this is applied in the entire country but in some pilot areas we started to use AI for better distribution of our water I'm saying pilot areas um and we are also uh now looking for the future, how the future of water management will look like. And that's the hope. There is always a hope that we generate new water resources. It's not only depending what exists because it's not enough for us in Egypt anymore. And every year the water share per capita is dropping more and more. And that's why we are looking for the nexus. to become an innovative solution for the future. In our region, in the entire Middle Eastern region, we have plenty of sun, we have plenty of sand, and we have plenty of salty water. And the challenge now for the next generation of innovation is how to transfer the three S's, sand, sun, salty water to food. And that's the research outputs that are telling us in the water for agriculture, which is the next revolution in order to produce food in a more intensive way. So producing crops with much less water desalinated specifically for agriculture, not for drinking. And this will open the door for new techniques of desalination that we don't know today. But research is telling us this is a trend where we are heading in the future when we deal with water resources. The last point that I want to mention is about transboundary and cooperation on the river basin level because we cannot, we are dependent on 98% of our water. that's coming from outside our borders. So whatever you do at the national level, it's not enough. You have to think about the source of this water and how the Nile Basin countries can collaborate together, not to compete on sharing the blue water, but at least to untap the potential of green water available in the basin, especially that's more than enough. In the basin, we have seven the countries of the basin we have 7,000 billion cubic meter of water. Egypt is receiving 55.5 billion, which means less than 3% of the available green water in the basin. So we are very much looking forward to collaborate with the nine basin countries because water is a fundamental human right. Water is not a commercial commodity according to the UN and we have to see water this way. We have to respect the rules and the regulation of the international water law. We have to go away from unilateralism and think more about cooperation and complementing each other. We have a lot to offer to the Nile Basin countries and I think they have also a lot to offer us. So if we collaborate together, Instead of competing in water resources, we have to think how we are going to face challenges, challenges like El Nino. El Nino is hitting the Horn of Africa already. the amount of rainfall in the Horn of Africa is dropped already this summer before the end of the season, we know that we are entering into a drought phase. So instead of competing each other, we have to complement each other and I see a great hope in the green water to be utilized in the near future. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Minister. you speak with authority when you speak about water. So we all heard that. Let us move now to Spain. A country that is severely affected by droughts and desertification and a country that is also reacting very positively in terms of promoting international cooperation for drought resilience. Maria Jesus, you playing a very important role there. And we know that this year, unfortunately, Spain has been suffering forest fires. And I'm just amazed as to how much the people of Spain are actually resilient to this phenomenon. So is drought still a national emergency, or is it going to move somewhere else in order to prepare the next crisis? What lessons have you learned? What lessons should Europe learn? Because this is not, it is not a Spanish issue only, it's the entire European continent, which is now at this as a spotlight of drought. And what, how much can you share about IDRA, the International Drought Resilience Alliance that Spain and Senegal are co-chairing?

Thank you very much indeed, Excellencies, delegations, representatives of civil society. Indeed, we are facing one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century because climate change has increased the frequency of droughts, their intensity and their geographical scope, and indeed the unsustainable management of land and water resources increase their impact on communities and ecosystems. Also, land which is managed unsustainably is more vulnerable to fires. Regrettably, in Spain, we have a whole wealth of experience when it comes to the cycle drought, wildfires, and floods. This is a problem which is no longer a problem nationally, but this is being extended regionally and also globally. And that's why it's important to move from a reactive approach to a proactive one. And here I'd like to refer to the lessons learned on how to address the political strengthening and governance frameworks to ensure that drought resilience becomes a priority. Firstly, it is vital to have the integration of policies. The importance of this integration has been underscored by many speakers and also in initiatives such as the integrated drought management program focused on three pillars. In Spain, the governance of drought is addressed through specific policies which must be complemented with others related to adaptation to climate change, the modernization of water sources, and the conservation of ecosystems. That's why it's important to have coordination amongst all ministerial departments. The issue of drought doesn't simply rely on one ministry department. It depends on all departments. And also, participation is vital. We must ensure that all relevant stakeholders participate, including those in regional and local governments, as well as the scientific community. and the private sector as well as civil society inter alia. When it comes to what practical measures are required to move from a reactive response to a preparatory or proactive response, I would like to flag as being fundamental planning. Planning is crucial to prevent these droughts, to be prepared to respond to that situation. But planning must be based on data and to obtain data in Spain we have the National Observatory for Drought and Early Warning Systems. It is crucial that the goals of planning are based on those data. Also we need to have safe agrarian policies for agriculture and has been flagged beforehand the modernization of systems. When it comes to international cooperation and multilateral agreements, we must be able to better support countries who face impact drought as a result of drought. As you know, Spain is a firm defender of the multilateral and cooperation system at the international level to achieve global objectives. In 2022, Spain and also Senegal together launched an initiative, the International Alliance for Drought Resilience. And in four years, 78 members are part of this alliance and through that, Technical, high level technical events have been organized and publications have been released and support has been provided to countries in various initiatives. I would like to highlight the International Observatory for Drought Resilience, which enhances the availability of solid, robust data, which back up decisions at all levels. And here Spain also made a contribution of 5 million euros. so that the International Drought Alliance can continue to operate and continue its work and also provide support to countries. I'd also like to highlight the importance of other international initiatives which are focused on improving drought resilience as well as the importance of financial resources from all available sources. Amongst the main progress made, I would like to mention the Global REHAB Partnership for Drought Resilience and the launch of an investment fund for drought, DRIF, and this has been fostered by Luxembourg, as has been said, and also IDRA. Our challenge now is to ensure that these debates and discussions are reflected into effective responses for all. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your statement, your response to our questions. You remember when Dr. Osama from Saudi Arabia was speaking, the mic was cut off, so that was accidental, and on behalf of the organizers, I want to apologize for that. So I want to give you the floor now to just allow you to conclude because you were not allowed to conclude, so please, Dr. Osama.

Thank you very much for giving me the floor back. I think I can summarize it in three words. We have to be proactive. we have to be comprehensive and we have to be collaborative and I just will shed some light how Saudi Arabia is translating all those three matters. We have to be proactive because responding to drought after it hits is already too late and we in Saudi Arabia we are working through Vision 2030 through the national water strategy, the national agricultural strategy and the national food security strategy to enhance the efficiency of water production, to enhance the efficiency of water use, to minimize water loss. In agriculture, of course, very important because it's the maximum consumption of water is in agriculture and leveraging technologies as well. So we have reduced For example, we are among the lowest in the world in terms of dissemination efficiency as well as cost and leveraging like renewable energies and cloud seeding and others. And of course, that's also looking at in a comprehensive way. Food security, for example, we are targeting to reduce food waste and loss by 50%. Remember, 33% of the food in the world either were wasted, lost or wasted. And that's a huge energy, water loss and also greenhouse gas impact. And we have to be collaborative. We are not only working, under the Saudi Green Initiative or the strategy that I mentioned, but also we're working regionally through the Middle East Green Initiative. We have already 35 countries already a member and we have, we are moving more to strengthen the work on land resilience and drought response. And also we're acting globally in the underwater domain by launching the Global Water Organization. as well as on the drought domain by really working during COP16 toward a global framework on drought that enhance international collaboration on drought, but also in the interim period through the TEFAL informal process to have a better understanding between the regional perspective in preparation for all and better here in COP17. And we will continue working on the global policy framework on the drought. But also we need to shift to action. And that is through the launch of the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership. Our focus is to bring countries, financial institution, international organization to leverage finance, to leverage innovation and to leverage partnership to address drought in a proactive way. The focus of the Riyadh partnership on low income and lower middle income countries for a simple reason out of the almost two billion people who are impacted by drought globally, 85% of them are residing in those countries. So that global partnership is not only about mobilizing resources. We already have about $2.2 billion that has been already committed, but it's about leveraging partnership, identifying regularity barriers in these countries. finding with our partners financial mechanism to enhance the flow of capital. And here really I'd like to thank the government of Luxembourg for launching the DRIF initiative to unlock private sector capital and its partnership with the Riyadh Global Direct Investment Partnership. And also of course the political support and here I'd like to recognize Senegal and Spain for leading role in launching IDRA as a political advocacy and we are a proud member of IDRA as well. And we also need to leverage innovation. We hear a lot of the examples we hear about innovation in water and agriculture, and there is a lot more in terms of the activities intelligence. We have seen now drought resilient crops not only consume less water and have higher rate of survivability, but we are seeing even they are actually higher productivity per hectare. And there is a number of example out there that we can really translated into action on the ground. I think as we hear from all, drought has no borders. We are seeing now many regions that thought to be immune by drought now they are seeing the outcome. The drought already impacts food security very much because 80% of the runbacks on agricultural communities but also has impact on political stability and social we have seen the majority of the conflicts in developing countries are related to land degradation and drought and the really complex or struggle for the meager resources but also we need to invest in land and land restoration because 50% of the clouds that the rain that falls on land originate from the vegetation cover on land so we are working on land restoration we have to realize that the aquifer recharge is not only related to the abstraction rate, which is very important to manage, but also the recharge rate, which is very strongly linked to the status of land and land restoration efforts. So we have to be comprehensive, we have to be proactive, and we have to be collaborative because this is a global challenge that requires global collaboration. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. I would like to thank excellencies, all the panelists that have really shared their excellent experiences with us. And if you can join me, please, just to express our gratitude to all the panelists that have spoken today. We'll now move to another panel. Thank you very much. We'll now move to another panel that is about to gave us their experience. This is international civil servants that have a lot of experience on drought and that have seen it from around the world. We have now, we just received, we just got a good experience from ministers and action at the ground, on the ground. So while they are setting the table for our new speakers, I'm just going to introduce our new panelist so that you know them as they come. His excellency Mister Moses Villacalli Villacati who is minister sorry minister no longer commissioner ah agriculture rural development, blue economy and sustainable environment at the African Union. Mister Villacati is from Eswatini and was elected to head the agriculture rural development blue economy and sustainable environment department at the African Union. He served as a minister in Eswatini in both the minister of tourism and environmental affairs. Uh prior to which he was minister for agriculture. Previously he served as a project director. So thank you very much Moses for joining us here. Next is Anna Claudia Rosbach. who is executive director of the United Nations human settlements program better known as UN habitat based in Nairobi she has more than 20 years experience in housing informal settlements and urban policies she served as director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Lincoln Institute of land policy and also served as regional manager for Cities Alliance. Welcome, Ana Claudia. Next is Madam Armida Salcia Alishabwana. I hope it's right, who is Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission and Social Economic and Social Commission for Asia known as ESCAP. She was minister amongst other things. I'm just giving us a short snapshot of the bios. Minister of National Development Planning and the head of National Development Planning Agency in Indonesia. So if you know Indonesia, you know Bappenas. She was the head of Bappenas. Next is Madam Assa Regner, who is Deputy Director General of UNESCO. If I say UNESCO is better known than the UN economics and whatever, social cultural organization. She comes from Sweden. She holds a Swedish passport. She works for the Swiss government as well as NGOs and United Nations. She was also deputy executive director of UN Women and served as a Swedish cabinet minister for children and elderly and gender equality. And finally, I have from the World Bank, Valerie Heike, who is director for environment. I don't know if there is anybody in this room who doesn't know Valerie. please make use. So Valerie is one of the champions of environment, climate change, and biodiversity at the World Bank. And you may know that in the World Bank, there's a vice presidency now for planet. I like that name. It's very short, simple, and clear that the World Bank wants to do something about the planet. So Valerie, welcome and thank you for joining us. We are now setting the international scene and I would like to give the chance to our panelists to share with us their experience about drought reaching into the arteries of the global economy. We have seen water scarcity constrain the Panama Canal, while exceptionally low water levels on major European waterways, such as the Rhine River and the Danube River. We know that drought is affecting all countries worldwide and is becoming now a global issue when it affects global supply chains and is becoming a global issue when it affects global economy and global security and it amplifies migration and humanitarian disasters. So if drought can constrain the Panama Canal, disrupt major European waterways, put pressure on the Nile water foods energy system as we heard from the minister, affect electricity generation and reverberate through global supply chains and economies, are we still defining drought too narrowly as primary and agriculture and local environmental emergency? What must stakeholders at all levels do differently and what opportunities leaders COP17 have to do we have to establish drought resilience as a global economy and security priority? It's the same question that I'm going to ask all panelists and to please share their experiences as global leaders with this room. So let me start with you Commissioner Moses Villacatte.

Thank you very much moderator.

Indeed, the way in which we are defining drought is too narrowly. Yet with drought, it starts as a hydrological event, but it just never ends there. It becomes a food security problem when production falls. It becomes an energy problem when hydropower drops. It becomes an economic problem when supply chains break and it becomes a stability problem when where water is shared. Africa shows this very clear. Water underpins labour productivity, food and energy security, industrialisation, social stability and when it therefore fails, the effects run through the whole economy. And one of the challenges in particular when it comes to water in Africa is that we share this water amongst our various countries. So there's transboundary sharing of water and therefore it becomes a ripple effect all over those countries that share the water. I think there are three shifts that are needed strategically. One, we need to look at water from a whole of economy responsibility, not just under water, agriculture and environmental ministries. It has to involve the ministers of finance, the ministers of trade, the minister of energy and infrastructure, which must price it in its water risks too, because without water, there is no energy. Without water, there's no trade as we have eloquently illustrated and hence the freight is also affected. The other shift is that we need to start thinking from crisis financing to resilience investment. We need to find early warning and resilient infrastructure before the emergency, not after. We tend to put a lot of effort after the event, when we should have been doing it in the earlier than it occurred. Also, the strategically, we need to understand that it is integrated transboundary governance that is really needed on water as it is a shared commodity. With almost 90% of our surface water being shared in Africa, cooperation, cooperation, cooperation isn't optional for Africa. It is foundational. So COP17's opportunity is this, water, soil, land, agriculture, rangelands, all needs to converge here. This is the moment to elevate drought from an environmental concern to a global economic and security priority. Africa brings that momentum. Our heads of states and governments, for example, already placed water at the center of the agenda through the Africa Water Vision 2063 and this AU theme on water for this year, 2026. On the water day here at COP17, I think we carry that same momentum that our heads of states have actually illustrated. Drought therefore begins locally, but it never stays locally. A water shock becomes a food shock, an energy shock, a trade shock, and finally an economic and security shock. COP17 therefore should be the moment we stop responding to drought as an emergency and start investing in resilience before the crisis hits. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much Moses and thank you for keeping on time. The organizers have impressing me that all speakers have five minutes and their mics will be cut off. I said no, no mic will be cut off because I know that all my panelists are disciplined and they will remain within the five minutes. So the next speaker is Ana Claudia from UN Habitat. If you can just share your experiences based on the questions that I asked earlier.

Thank you, moderator, co-president, panelists, excellencies, honorable ministers, distinguished delegates. Yeah, I'll be short. So when drought affects the Panama Canal channel, it affects food supply chains. It affects energy provision. So it has a direct impact in how people are living in human settlements in cities, right? It affect urban economies, it affect food prices. At the end of the day, the cost of living is higher in cities. So it has direct effect to that and we need to keep that in mind, right? So it is a reality that connects us, everything that we are discussing here, to a broader ecosystem, right? Where we have people, where we have economies that are more and more inserted in urban settings in cities. So in 2050, we are expecting to have 70% of the population living in cities. So we are moving of half of the world living in cities today to 70%. So we have to be aware of that. So I think the problem now is not only about, you know, seriousness, it's about scale, it has been said in the previous panel, but also looking across sector. And I think this is a major challenge also for us within the UN system. So I will share three shifts that are relevant from our perspective, UN Habitat. So first move from crisis to planning. We all know that the cost of addressing the impact of a crisis is much higher than eventually preventing, right? So invest investing in this prevention, understanding the links between water, land, housing, infrastructure, right? Climate resilience, the whole urban system, the territory, the territorial approach. The new urban agenda The main document that guides the work of UN-Habitat foresees that land has a social and an ecological function. So we have to be very careful on how we use land, how cities are growing, where people are living. The second aspect is that we really need to look at the strategic infrastructure that we need. So in the global south, in Africa, in Asia, we just had our African Urban Forum, right, Commissioner? We are looking at integrated approach, looking at land restoration, looking at water security and urban development, considering that as an investment in economic resilience in urban systems. The third approach is that we really need to strengthen local institutions and finance. We just had the Mayors Forum on Friday here where we together hosted by the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar and with our partners ECLAC, UCLG, we had an excellent discussion from their perspective. The Mayor's declaration calls for strength and collaboration between parties, partners, local and national governments and we have to make sure that the money comes where it needs to come. So just to conclude, I believe the good news is that we have solutions out there. Our job, especially from the UN system, is to support the transferring of the solutions so we have the know-how and the expertise and of course we need to strengthen the political will and make sure that the money arrives, that the finance works for the solution that we have out there. So we are ready to work with member states and UNCCD, local governments, the civil society, universities and so on, because as it has been said in the previous panel, this requires collective efforts, overall engagement within the society and we are crossing our silos. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for this and you are absolutely right. According to studies, the proactive approach costs ten times less than the reactive mode. So we wait until the crisis happens, then we try to intervene. At that time it is too late. So we have to reset our systems. Armida, from ESCAP. You are overseeing quite a complex system here in Asia and quite an economy that is growing but at the same time vulnerable to drought. Please share your experience.

Thank you very much, Ibrahim. Again, if I may refer you to your earlier example of Panama Canal. and Europe's inland waterways, what has been happening regarding this climate change drought and so on, which the experience actually resonates very well strongly across our region, Asia and the Pacific. So if I may just share very briefly by way of historical background. So over the past 50 years, drought has affected nearly almost 30% of all disaster affected people in our region, Asia Pacific. It also accounts for approximately approximately 60% of annual disaster related economic losses. Uh if we maybe some colleagues remember for example Southeast Asia back then between 2015 and 2020 over 60% of.

Have been affected by drought.

In Central Asia, for example, back then 2019, 2020 also experienced a severe drought, the most severe one in 45 years. So again, yeah, I think in previous speakers, previous session already mentioned that these are not isolated shocks. They are interconnected risk that again.

Reverberate across supply, supply chain markets as well as economy.

Highlighting why drought resilience must be treated as an economic and development priority. And furthermore, yeah, this year, the strong El Nino will further exacerbate this challenge across the region globally, as well as countries, selected countries. And for our region, I would like to share some good news actually, Ibrahim, that further progress actually has been ongoing on the works. We have the so-called regional drought mechanism in which we help countries strengthen their response through drought monitoring forecasting early warning system is already working and as a regional platform connecting both space faring and emerging space capable nation so already utilizing satellite data tools and expertise especially for countries with limited capacities furthermore also we leverage the digital public goods, digital as well as AI, in which the risk resilience portal has come in very handy, in which countries can access trusted climate risk analytics, impact best forecasting, as well as multi-sector.

Vulnerability assessment.

So it's there, yeah, it's there, it's ongoing, and it's starting to work. But again, yeah, because of this intensifying impact of climate crisis and future droughts will be generally more intense and exacerbate further.

So therefore, in our approach, our work and focus furthermore are guided by three track approach.

The first one is reduce and prevent through climate smart agriculture, sustainable water management, resilient infrastructure and ecosystem restoration.

Second, prepare and respond through stronger early warning system, climate forecasting, earth.

Observation, geospatial technologies and digital tools that support anticipatory action.

And third, restore and recover through risk informed financing, social.

Protection and recovery investment that build resilience rather than create vulnerability.

I think this also resonates here with many points alluded by earlier speakers. Just to give you a concrete example, just one concrete example in which.

We work quite closely at the regional sub-regional level, for example, one very good example.

Is in the case of Southeast Asia through the collaboration with ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nation. And regarding your question, Ibrahim, if I may just my final point.

What what should or could cop 17 uh do in terms of the opportunity going forward?

I think uh Yasmin also mentioned this yeah in her remarks uh at opening segment in which just reiterate again this point cop 17 provides an important opportunity.

Yeah, I'm sorry about this. It's the machine that cuts the mics off. And I have to respect that rule. So let's thank you very much. And I noted a lot of positive elements here that you mentioned, the regional drought mechanism in Asia and the digital for good that you are also implementing. Let us move now to UNESCO. You have been foreseeing a lot of activities and you worked for the UN, you worked for the government, you worked for NGOs. So you have a perspective that probably the world would like to hear from.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairperson, and for having me and UNESCO on this panel. I'd also like to thank the Mongolian government for hosting us, for your hospitality and leadership. So, as many have said before me, the drought issue is a major one and it has enormous impact on global economies, trade, supply chain, supply chains and on people. And obviously we need to expand resilience through.

Building those capacities.

And many of you have mentioned and suggested how before. We know also that in the long run, negligence of these issues is also a safety issue and a threat to peace. So addressing these challenges means that we have to recognize water's role as a climate connector that bridges the targets of the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda, and the disaster risk reduction under the Sendai Framework, while at the same time advancing gender equality and women's leadership, women and girls leadership.

They are.

By the way, often disproportionately affected by water insecurity and climate related impacts, but not as often called to the table when it comes to management, although they are often those who are responsible for important actions, for example, water collection, farming, etc. But Mr. Moderator, you also asked for action. So UNESCO is an institution we'd like to think of science and knowledge in the area of climate change. We also have a wide network, so we're backed by 28 category two water centers all over the world. We have 93 UNESCO chairs in universities. all over the world and over 170 national committees, one very forceful one in Mongolia, by the way. So UNESCO and its big family is ready to help member states design bankable drought resilient water projects. As I said, and you've said before me, that resilience must be the foundation for drought governance and planning, and we have to build the capacity of societies to anticipate, adapt to, and recover from drought while reducing future vulnerabilities and to not repeat harmful patterns. We need political will and leadership. We need action and we need money for this, and we need to also remember that the access to water is a human right. And the resilience approach lies at the heart of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, which is currently in its ninth phase. And we focus on science for a water secure world in a changing environment. And through this program, we aim to provide scientific tools and methodologies such as drought monitoring and early warning systems, which help governments understand emerging risks and to be able to do something before crisis escalate. And these tools enhance adaptation to water-related hazards and hydrological extremes, including droughts, through improved science monitoring, forecasting, governance, and risk-informed decision-making. And a prime example, we think, of UNESCO's climate risk-informed decision analysis is our analysis tool. which has been used in, for example, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where this tool has empowered communities to manage increased drought risk across multiple future scenarios. Another example is that that in citizens science projects in Ghana and Bolivia with local population, including women and girls, that in those countries actively monitor water hazards and shape resource management.

We really do believe.

That resilience requires active community participation and the participation of representatives of those affected, including civil society.

Thank you very much. Once again, the timer has played its role. Valerie Hickey from the World Bank, please.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. As you all know, our mission at the World Bank is to end poverty. There's never going to be a world without poverty and a world without more and better jobs. That's the reason we care about drought, whether it's fast droughts, whether it's the slow motion misery of long-term droughts, because drought is one of the world's worst jobs killers. 3.4 billion jobs are directly dependent on water being available. And it's not just about aggregate numbers, Mr. Chair. Look at what happened in Cape Town in South Africa on day zero in 2018. 20,000 farm workers lost their jobs immediately. Tens of thousands of hospitality workers lost their jobs because hotels canceled bookings and so they laid everybody off. This is a jobs killer. It's why we care about this agenda at the World Bank Group. And we're committed with partners between now and 2030 to make 400 million more people water secure. And we're focusing on three.

Things.

And information, and you heard it from everybody on the panel. We are determined to create AAA data, data that is accurate, data that is accessible, and data that is available and affordable. And it has to be data that's delivered for decision making, whether that means getting it to a local herder family here in Mongolia or to a minister of finance. And it has to be an end-to-end information system that delivers that data And we have to make sure there's last mile connectivity, and we have to make sure that data is available in time to make decisions. It's no good telling someone what the weather's going to be the time the weather hits. They need to know about it beforehand. You heard about this. But it's not just data information systems. The second thing we're really pushing is institutional plumbing. And let me just focus on government institutions for a minute. There are three things that are failing in government institutions that are making droughts worse. The first is that water is not priced, and so ministers of finance generally don't see it. And that's why we're working with the UN system of environmental and economic accounts to make sure that water accounts, land accounts where water comes from, forest accounts are visible in economic decision making for ministers of finance. That allows them to begin to price water. We're also working not just on pricing when it comes to institutional plumbing, but on procurement. It drives me absolutely mad that in today's world where governments are under enormous fiscal stress, that for every dollar allocated for water security to combat drought, 28 cents of every dollar is not spent. That's criminal. It has to be fixed. Procurement needs to be fixed to get all of that money spent on time to combat drought. And we're also working on the plumbing of social safety nets. Governments spend money on social safety nets. That money needs to be available before a drought so that families are not selling off hard-won assets while they wait for a social safety net that only pays them after the fact. So these are the sorts of institutional plumbing issues, just to give you examples from government institutions. And then finally, we're working on investments, getting more money into the water sector. You've heard the numbers about how the SDG on water is one of the least funded. We need more private capital here into this sector, whether it's upstream on the land water nexus, or whether it's downstream where the water comes out of a pipe. And that requires to get private capital, we need country ownership, we need stable regulatory frameworks. And we need a pipeline of bankable projects, which means working on those institutions, whether building creditworthy water utilities or whether working with herder cooperatives or farmer cooperatives to help build their access to finance from their local banks. At the end of the day, ecology is economy. Drought is a jobs killer. And that's why we're committed to doing more across the board to help make sure that this becomes part of the solution to development, not part of the problem. Thank you, Ibrahim.

Thank you very much. Drought is a job killer. That's something that I retain as a summary of this. Well, I would like to, I mean, this brings to an end this second panel, and I would like to once again thank very much our panelists. Obviously, the conversation is just beginning. because we need to change the way we are doing business. We need to reset our policies both at the national level but also internationally. The international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank also need to reset their policies in order to respond to the crisis that we are facing at the moment. So thank you very much, Mr. President, co-president. It's back to you.

Thank you, Mr. Pierre, for moderating the two panel discussions. We will now hear statements from the floor in accordance with the pre-established list of speakers. As indicated before, interventions are limited to three minutes to maximize participation and interaction. Time limits will be mechanically enforced. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Namibia.

And to the government and the people of Mongolia for the warm hospitality and excellent hosting of the COP17. We also thank the UNCCD Secretariat and the global mechanism for their continued support in advancing Namibia's effort to.

Combat desertification, land degradation.

And drought.

For Namibia, drought is not a distant threat. It is a reoccurring national reality. As one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Namibia continues to experience rising temperature, highly variable rainfall and prolonged drought.

These shocks affect agricultural production, water security, human health, rural livelihood, and national economic growth.

More than 1 million people can be exposed to food insecurity during severe drought period. Our experience has taught us an important lesson.

We cannot continue responding to droughts only after a disaster has struck. We must invest before the crisis.

Namibia is therefore strengthening.

Drought preparedness through early warning systems, contingency planning, sustainable land management, water security measures and ecosystem restoration.

Our third national action program under the UNCCD National drought policy and land degradation neutrality targets provide important framework for building greater resilience. Namibia has long championed stronger international action on drought. At UNCCD COP11 hosted by Namibia in 2013, parties adopted Namib Declaration, which elevated drought mitigation as a priority.

In 2016.

Namibia together with the African Union and UNCCD hosted the first African drought conference in Windhoek. This produced the Windhoek declaration for enhancing resilience to drought and the strategic framework for drought risk management enhancing resilience in Africa advising the vision of drought resilience prepared Africa.

Today that vision is more urgent.

Ever.

Namibia is also advancing in land restoration through global green wall initiative and strengthening resilience across our vast range with 85 of the land range lands Namibia's pastoral community are highly vulnerable, but the national action alone will not be enough.

Drought does not respect institutional boundaries and working in silos will not build the resilience we need.

Thank you, the distinguished representative of Namibia. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Senegal.

Madam President, Madam Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. Today we are not simply confronting an environmental crisis. We are facing a defining test of our civilization. Drought and land degradation are no longer isolated disasters. They have become structural, threat that undermine food security, weaken our economies and fuel displacement and jeopardize the livelihoods of millions of people. For Africa, this is not tomorrow's challenge. It is today's reality. The answer cannot remain reactive. We must shift from disasters management to resilience governance. But let us be clear, resilience cannot be built with speeches alone. It must be financed. Every dollar invested in prevention save many more in recovery. We must accelerate innovative finance, expand public-private partnership. At the same time, science must guide our decision. Because land and water are inseparable, Investing in agroecology, restoring degraded landscape, and securing land rights are investment in peace, prosperity, and long-term resilience. Excellencies, drought recognize no borders. Our response must therefore be equally global. This is why Senegal reaffirms its commitment to two essential political instrument. The International Drought Resilience Alliance, IDRA, and the International Drought Resilience Observatory, IDRO, together they provide the political momentum, scientific knowledge, and international cooperation needed to transform our ambition into action. Today, I invite all countries that have not yet done so to join these initiatives and strengthen the momentum led by Senegal and Spain to place drought resilience at the heart of the global agenda. Senegal will continue to lead beyond this convention. In December 2026, together with the United Arab Emirates, Senegal will lead the 2026 United Nations Convention on Water at Abu Dhabi. Allow me to conclude with a simple but urgent call. Let us join IDRA, let us strengthen IDRO, let us invest in communities before crisis deepen for a more resilient world where water remains a source of life, peace and shared prosperity. Thank you for your attention.

I thank the distinguished representative of Senegal and I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burundi.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, for Bhutan, drought reminds us of a simple truth. Having water is not the same as having water security. Bhutan is often considered a water-rich country, but our mountains tell a different story. Our farms are on steep slopes, while our rivers quickly flow downstream. Much of our agriculture therefore depends on rainfall. Of the total 7,000 plus water sources assessed across Bhutan, nearly 2,000 were already showing signs of drying up, with some having dried up completely. So our drought challenge is not simply about having no water. It is about having too little water in the wrong place at the wrong time. And so increasingly, this means the risk to our food security, rural livelihoods, and communities. That is why Bhutan strongly supports the shift from reacting to drought after it happens to preparing for it before it happens. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, through our national adaptation plan and 13 five year plan, we are investing in climate resilient water system, irrigation, water harvesting and spring shed management supported by integrated water planning and crop and livestock insurance. We are also developing national agriculture drought watch so that we can anticipate drought act early and protect our farmers before drought becomes disaster excellencies ladies and gentlemen from Bhutan's experience allow us to live with three messages first drought resilience must be built into development planning not treat it as a response after the crisis second we must strengthen the soil water land Nexus bringing together science early warning, sustainable land management, and community action. Third, protecting upstream ecosystem is an investment in downstream water security. But Bhutan cannot build this resilience alone. We need accessible and predictable finance, technology, science, capacity, and stronger regional cooperation. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, in closing, we would like to state that Drought resilience is not simply about finding more water. It is about protecting the land, ecosystems, and the communities that make water possible. If you want water security tomorrow, we must invest in healthy land today. So therefore, Bhutan stands ready to walk this path with all of the members. I thank you and Tashi Delek.

I thank the distinguished representative of Bhutan. I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Tunisia.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Tunisian delegation, I'd like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Republic of Mongolia, to His Excellency the President of the Republic and to the members of the government for the very warm welcome extended to us by the authorities and the Mongolian people. We would also like to express our profound gratitude to the UNCCD Secretariat and in particular the Executive Secretary, Madam Yasmine Fouad, and the organization committee of COP for their ongoing efforts and the smooth running of this conference. And I wish, I hope that our work will be successful. Ladies and gentlemen, for Tunisia, drought is not just a specific situation, it's an ongoing structural issue which our country must imperatively adapt to. Whereas historical data have indicated that one year out of three were marked by drought, Tunisia now is undergoing centuries of drought which are unprecedented, exacerbated by extreme heat waves. This critical situation is reflected in a drastic drop in global reserves of national dams. not to preserve our strategic resources, our government has been compelled to prolong strict, uh, emergency measures, including, uh, the reservation of water, restriction of water measures for some farmers. affects our food security in full force with a significant drop in the food production nationally and sustainably making the livestock sector more fragile. Drought also accelerates the phenomenon of desertification which now threatens almost 75% of our national territory. Combating land degradation has become cross-cutting. There's been an imbalance in socio-economic issues and climate and biodiversity issues as well as the safeguarding of our systems. I will rapidly now move to a number of recommendations. And let me say, national efforts are very much limited without international solidarity in order to grapple with the situation. That is why we would like to take this opportunity solemnly call upon the international community to negotiate and adopt an international binding agreement on drought. Such a global treaty would make it possible to make an effort globally speaking. This international agreement, or an international agreement, remains a very good solution where everyone can work together on drought. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Tunisia. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Eswatini.

Madam President, the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Your Excellencies, distinguished guests and delegates, ladies and gentlemen, drought is one of the most pervasive global challenges of the 21st century, threatening food and water security, ecosystems, public health, economic stability, and sustainable development.

Climate change is at the center of it all, increasing the frequency, duration, and severity of droughts worldwide, with disproportionate impacts to vulnerable communities, including women, youth, farmers, pastoralists, and dryland populations. Eswatini has a history of severe, recurring climate shocks, directly affecting 70% of the population, which relies on subsistence rain-fed agriculture. The 2015 to 2016 extreme drought, for example, triggered widespread crop failure, killed over 80,000 cattle, left half the population requiring food aid, and cost the country an estimated 7% of its GDP. We have since experienced intermittent spells and high temperatures even in years that were supposed to be wet, including the last season. During these times, crops fail, causing food insecurity and major reservoirs reclined, resulting in scarcity of irrigation and drinking water. As a country, we have embarked on mitigation efforts that are shifting our communities from emergency relief towards long-term resilience. For instance, we have developed a national drought plan in 2020, which includes water conservation techniques and early warning systems. We are currently building what will, on completion in 2028, be the largest dam in the country, complete with industrial parks and eco -- and an eco city. Madam President, the Kingdom supports the Africa position calling for transformative governance of drought at a global scale, a global framework that is legally binding and will integrate all the elements needed to make a difference. History will not judge us by speeches, but by concrete actions we took to make the lives of our communities and the future of prosperity better or lack thereof. This is a global problem requiring global interventions. COP17 should ensure that vulnerable developing countries are able to access predictable, affordable and sustainable additional financial resources to implement drought resilience at scale.

I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Eswatini. Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Angola.

Good afternoon.

I will speak in Portuguese.

Excellencies, Chair, distinguished.

Ministers and heads of delegation, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to begin by congratulating the COP17 presidency and the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on the organization of this important ministerial dialogue. On my own behalf and on behalf of the government of Angola, led by His Excellency, the President of Angola, Juan Manuel Gonzalez Lorenzo, drought is no longer merely a cyclical phenomenon. It has emerged as a systemic risk exacerbated by climate change. It requires coordinated and preventive responses based on the sustainable management of land and water. For Angola, this reality is particularly concerning. In recent years, our country has experienced prolonged periods of severe drought, particularly in the southern provinces. This has affected millions of citizens, reducing water availability. It has also compromised agriculture and livestock production and accelerated soil degradation and desertification processes, as well as loss of biodiversity. In response to the situation, Angola has been strengthening its response through public policies aimed at building climate resilience and promoting the sustainable management of natural resources. It's also important to highlight that building drought resilience requires an integrated approach based on science, regional cooperation, and the mobilization of adequate financial resources. In this context, we reaffirm our commitment to the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. We also support initiatives that promote the integrated management of land and water, as well as the strengthening of national capacities, technology transfer, and access to climate finance for the most vulnerable countries. We also advocate for strengthened international cooperation to implement or integrate early warning systems, drought preparedness mechanisms, and ecosystem restoration through nature-based solutions, which enable us to enhance community resilience. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, drought knows no borders. Angola, reaffirms that it is willing to continue cooperating actively with states, international organizations and development partners to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. Thank you.

I thank Angola for the statement. I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Sri Lanka, to be followed by Cameroon. Sri Lanka, you have the floor.

Excellencies, distinguished ministers, ladies and gentlemen, at the outset.

On behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, I express our sincere gratitude to the government of Mongolia for its.

Warm hospitality and excellent arrangements and to the UNCCD Secretariat for its dedicated efforts in convening this important high-level dialogue.

It is a great honor for Sri Lanka to participate in this timely discussion on water and drought resilience.

Sri Lanka remains committed to raising global ambition on land degradation and drought resilience through a people-centered, inclusive and collaborative approach in line with the UNCCD 2018-2030 strategic framework.

The vision of degradation neutrality and the 2030 Agenda. As a tropical island nation facing growing pressure on land and water from climate.

Change and environmental degradation, Sri Lanka emphasizes that water security.

Depends on healthy and resilient soil, land, and ecosystem that sustain and regulate water resources. Sri Lanka promotes an integrated approach to land, water, climate, and ecosystem management supported by strong institutions, science, innovation, adequate financing, and the participation of vulnerable communities. Building on the legacy of our ancient hydraulic civilization, we are combining traditional knowledge with modern technology to strengthen water resources management, including the restoration of traditional tank cascade systems. We are also advancing landscape restoration and ecosystem conservation through initiatives such as the Vanaspati National Tree Planting Program, protecting critical wetlands, and strengthening environmental regulation to protect water quality and ecological integrity. Excellencies, climate change and growing pressure on land and water requires strong action on route resilience, sustainable land management and land degradation neutrality. Sri Lanka calls for strengthen international cooperation, improve access to climate information, early warning system, technology and capacity building together with adequate and predictable finance for developing countries. Sri Lanka stands ready to work with the UNCCD, our Asian partners and the international community to advance practical solutions that build resilience before drought becomes a crisis.

We also call for greater financing resources from public-private partnerships and integrated investment to address land degradation, desertification and drought.

And accelerate progress towards land degradation neutrality. Thank you.

I thank Sri Lanka for the statement. I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Cameroon to be followed by Marshall Islands. Cameroon, you have the floor.

Madam.

Ladies and gentlemen, ministers, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, let me congratulate the Mongolian government for the excellent organization of this COP17 here in Ulaanbaatar on the theme of restoring land, restoring hope. I also want to take thank the host country for the warm hospitality and the rich culture of this country resounds in our ears. And the theme of today's session very much resounds with Cameroon. I'd also like to extend our congratulations to President of COP17, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for excellent organization of this Whereas my country has taken part in a spirit of openness, convinced that dialogue, frank dialogue, mutual respect are the principal foundations of consensual decisions. I also want to welcome the action of the Convention Secretariat under Madame Yassine Fouad, and I'm pleased in particular with the support that the African group has received. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished ministers, delegates, land is the intercession between the thumb restrict of this theme, preservation of biodiversity, it's the source of food security, sustainable water resource management, and peace and security. In Cameroon, the surface area of degraded land is 12 million hectares of degraded land, 8 million of which in the Sahel zone. Land degradation due to drought is advancing in a number of regions in Cameroon. Therefore, the struggle against climate change is far from won. Now, almost 40% of our population is exposed to land degradation. Women bearing the brunt, more so than men, behind each degraded hectare. Every dry, protracted season, it is women and youth who have to walk further to find water, granaries that are empty, lost livestock, families that fall into poverty, girls who leave school early, forced marriage, flow of forced displacement that swells and whose lines grow ever longer. Excellencies.

I thank Cameron for the statement. I now give the floor to Marshall Islands, to be followed by Fiji. Marshall Islands, you have the floor.

Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, yakwe and good afternoon. I have the distinct honor to speak on an issue that is fundamental to our national survival, our aspiration for sustainable development, and the future of our people. The impacts of climate change and the growing threat of drought. The Marshall Islands has experienced severe droughts in which water supplies become critically limited, affecting food security, public health, and the well-being of our communities. Rainfall is our principal source of freshwater, and when the rain fails, drought quickly becomes a matter of water security, food security, and ultimately, human security. On our atolls, changing rainfall patterns caused by climate change place our fragile freshwater lenses under increasing pressure from saltwater intrusion. This directly threatens our drinking water, our ability to grow food, and the security of our communities. For the Marshall Islands, water security and food security are national securities. Madam President, today we have even greater reason to act with urgency. A strong El Nino is developing, increasing the risk of drier conditions across the Pacific. This is happening against a backdrop of escalating climate impacts that have been compounding for decades. Drought resilience cannot be separated from climate adaptation. They are one and the same for our survival. To avoid the worst impact, we must move from reacting to disasters to anticipating them. We call for a complete chain of protection from prevention to preparedness to early warning, anticipatory actions, and fast accessible finance and support when it is needed most. Madam President, the people of the Marshall Islands have endured before. We endure the devastating legacy of nuclear testing and parts of our islands remain contaminated to this day. Yet we are still here. We are enduring the impacts of climate change, sea level rise and drought, and still we are here. We refuse to accept displacement or loss of our homelands as inevitable. We choose resilience. We choose determination and we choose to fight for our right to remain on our islands. And whatever long and arduous journey lies ahead, we will take it to protect our land, to restore our land, and to preserve our home. And above all, we will continue to restore hope and security for the future of our children, our grandchildren, and generations of Marshallese yet to come. With that, and I thank you.

Thank you, Marshall Islands, for the statement. Now, I pass the floor to Fiji. to be followed by Saint Kitts and Nevis. Fiji, you have the floor.

Madam President, excellencies and distinguished delegates, I extend my warmest gratitude to the government and the people of Mongolia for hosting us in this beautiful landscape, a true testament of the timeless heritage of rangelands and pastoralist communities. Also acknowledging the support of UNCCD in bringing us together to this platform and to also acknowledge the panel of speakers for their informative contributions and positive statements. Your Excellencies, when the world considers the climate crisis in the Pacific, it often envisions rising sea levels and devastating cyclones. Fiji's climate emergency is increasingly defined by the prolonged El Nino-driven droughts that threaten food and water security, resounding the devastating 1997-1998 drought that destroyed half of both our food security and our export crops and left more than one quarter of our population dependent on water rations. Fiji is currently experiencing similar conditions and the forecast is that it will persist through the remainder of 2026 and potentially into 2027. This will pose significant implications to national climate conditions, water resources, agriculture, disasters, and broader economic, social economic resilience. Meteorological trends indicate that increasingly certain weather seasons are producing intense downpours and flash floods, accelerating topsoil loss, severe land degradation, and flash droughts across the Western and the Northern Division. Fiji refuses to be a passive victim. We are redesigning and context Pacific strategy built on three urgent pillars. Decentralized water infrastructure, which includes installing communal rainwater harvesting network and solar powered desalination units in vulnerable rural and maritime communities. Second, climate smart agriculture. partnering with traditional and owners unit to scale drought tolerant traditional crops and enforce communities bylaws against intentional bushfires and thirdly indigenous early warning systems, fusing high tech meteorological data with traditional ecological knowledge to give farmers actionable alerts months before the drought hits. We have the political will and we and the local expertise to deliver solutions however we let the specialized capital and technical architecture required to scale this to scale them effectively Fiji formally requests the support of UNCCD's financial mechanism across two targeted areas one technical assistance and we need senior experts and GIS data specialists to help us finalize and codify Fiji.

Thank you Fiji for the statement. I now give the floor to Saint Kitts and Nevis to be followed by Solomon Islands. Saint Kitts and Nevis, you have the floor.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates, Saint Kitts and Nevis has experienced 12 drought events in the last 20 years and is currently under an active drought warning driven by a 44% reduction in rainfall. As a government, our drive toward transformative sustainability via our sustainable island state agenda required acknowledgement of the stark realities of our water situation. Declining groundwater yields, saline intrusion, and should current conditions persist, the possibility of a 30 to 70% reduction in our aquifers recharge by 2050. Droughts have now moved slowly and impartially through our land, economy, and our lives as silent impediments to resilience for SIDS. For us, the response needed to be people-centered, innovative, science-based, and sustainable. Water security and drought resilience is actioned through policy and investment. In 2024, we commenced the Green Climate Fund SGN Transwater Project Preparation, a flagship initiative to help revolutionize water delivery through a low carbon and climate resilient sector. In 2025, we introduced our national water policy as a strategic and holistic response to reform our legislative and governance approaches to drought and water scarcity. We commissioned the Kion well and established a storage reservoir to expand water supply in the area through an increased production of 435,000 gallons per day, a significant contribution to our target of maintaining 24-hour water supply. 2026 some major infrastructural investment our Bastia desalination plant which has a production capacity of 2 million gallons per day which collectively with the Kaon wells saw an increase of 24/7 water supply from 25% to 70% of the population. Saint Kitts and Nevis supports considerations of climate mobility as a critical framework for responding to desertification, land degradation and drought, emphasizing the importance of facilitating adaptation in place and mobility in dignity where necessary as drought resilience measures. As drought increasingly threatens water and food security, as well as livelihoods across Caribbean states, we call for stronger coordinated regional action. We welcome the proposed Caribbean Drought Initiative led through PISLM as an important opportunity to strengthen preparedness, mobilize investment, and build long-term resilience to drought. drought resilience needs collective action to protect people and planet. Thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Solomon Islands to be followed by Guyana. Solomon Islands, you have the floor.

Chair, excellencies, distinguished ministers, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the government and the people of Solomon Islands, I thank the government Mongolia and the UNCCD Secretary for convening this important ministerial dialogue. As a small island developing state in the Pacific, Solomon Islands is often associated with abundant rainfall. However, climate change is altering weather patterns, making dry spells and drought conditions increasingly frequent and unpredictable. These changes threaten agriculture, food security, water resources, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods. Agriculture remains the backbone of Solomon Islands economy and the primary source of livelihoods for most people. Yet its heavy reliance on rain-fed farming and vulnerable freshwater sources makes communities highly exposed to drought, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen resilience through proactive risk reduction, preparedness, and adaptation measures to safeguard food security, livelihood, and human security. In this regard, Solomon Islands is committed to advancing integrated drought governance by mainstreaming climate resilience, sustainable land management, and water resource management into national planning. Through our national adaptation plan and broader resilience initiatives, we are strengthening coordination across sectors and enhancing preparedness at both national and community levels. We also emphasize the importance of science, early warning systems, and knowledge sharing. Reliable climate information and forecasting are essential to support, inform decision making and ensure that early warnings lead to early action. Financing remains a major challenge for vulnerable developing countries. We call for greater support from international financial institutions, development partners and climate funds to strengthen drought preparedness, climate resilient agriculture, water security and ecosystem restoration. particularly in the small island developing states. Excellencies, no country can address climate-induced drought alone. Stronger partnerships are essential to promote innovation, technology transfer, capacity building, and investment in resilient agricultural water systems. The Solomon Islands supports efforts to make drought resilience a central pillar of sustainable development, climate adaptation, and land restoration under the UNCCD. Let us move from reactive responses to proactive risk reduction and ensure that our communities are better equipped to withstand future droughts and climate shocks. Let COP17 send a strong message that investing in drought resilience is investing in food security, environmental sustainability and economic stability and future generations. I thank you.

I thank the distinguished representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis and pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Solomon Islands to be followed by Guyana. Solomon Islands, you have the floor. I apologize for the inconvenience. So, Solomon Islands is speaking now? Spoke already. Okay. So, The floor goes to Guyana, to be followed by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Guyana, you have the floor.

Thank you very much. Excellencies, colleagues, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to join you here in Mongolia for the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. As we meet here at COP17, we are confronted with a reality that is increasingly difficult to ignore. Drought is no longer simply a periodic natural hazard. It is a growing threat to food security, water security, livelihoods, biodiversity and economic stability. As climate change alters rainfall patterns and intensifies climatic extremes, our task is not only simply to respond when drought occurs, but our task is to build resilience even before drought becomes a crisis. For Guyana, resilience begin with recognizing that water, land, forests, biodiversity, agriculture, and people are one interconnected system. Under the leadership of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfan Ali, the President of Guyana, the Low Carbon Development Strategy of 2030 has placed this integrated approach at the center of our national development pathway. Our forests and wetlands help regulate water. Healthy soils retain moisture. Biodiversity strengthens ecosystem and resilience. And productive agricultural landscape provides a foundation for food security and livelihood. There is a particularly powerful reason why this matters to Guyana. A study published in the Nature Foods reported by BBC Science Focus assess the food production capacity of 186 countries across seven food groups. Guyana was the only country found capable of producing enough food to meet the needs of its people across all seven food groups without relying on foreign exports. Imports. The same research highlights why food self-sufficiency matters for resilience. Countries with low levels of self-sufficiency can be more vulnerable to sudden food supply shocks, including droughts, wars, and export restrictions. Therefore, protecting Guyana's capacity to feed its people means protecting the land, soil, water, and biodiversity upon which that capacity depends. This is why drought resilience must extend beyond the emergency response. At COP17, therefore, Guyana calls for great international investment on drought preparedness, resilient food systems, healthy soils, water security, and nature-based solutions. Let us invest before the crisis. Let us strengthen the resilience before the drought. Let us protect our natural systems and make food security possible because it is important. Resilience must be accelerated.

Thank you, Guyana, for your statement. I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to be followed by Madagascar. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, you have the floor.

Chair, excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines honors this opportunity to engage in this ministerial dialogue on drought resilience, an issue that deeply impacts our farmers and communities. Drought is not just a statistic for us. It is a tangible reality that affects our agriculture, livestock, and national food supply. The consequences are profound. Root crops, reduced crop yields, lost income, and diminished confidence among farmers and families. Our experiences highlighted the urgency of building drought resilience before its onset. The severe drought of 2009 to 2010 resulted in a 20% drop in agricultural production, whilst in 2020, losses reached 16 million Eastern Caribbean dollars. Excellencies, in response, we have shifted towards a proactive approach by investing in rainwater harvesting, irrigation system, and climate smart agriculture. Addressing these vulnerabilities requires stronger cooperation and coordination among SIDS, alongside practical regional action in the Caribbean. The proposed Caribbean Drought Initiative to be advanced through PISLM can provide a platform for strengthening preparedness, attracting investment, and advancing long-term resilience, drought resilience that is. Our goal is to integrate these initiatives into a cohesive national system that detects drought risk early, provides timely information to farmers, and mobilizes support to avoid total production loss. We are exploring protective agriculture and innovative irrigation strategies that can provide additional resilience. Livestock is equally affected by drought, necessitating a strategic drought plan to ensure water and food security prior to adverse conditions. We are focusing on rehabilitating the Rabaka irrigation system, supporting 324 farmers and 3535 farms, highlighting the need for reliable irrigation, a cornerstone to drought resilience. I call on this community today to support this initiative. Our main challenge is to integrate these efforts into cohesive national jobs resilience framework, complete a clear protocol for responding to these issues. For small islands developing states like ours, the cost of preparedness is high, but the cost of agricultural loss is far greater. Our transition towards resilience continues. and we welcome the partnership to expedite this journey. I thank you.

I thank Samy Son and the Grenadines for the statement. I now give the floor to Madagascar. Madagascar, you have the floor.

President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, ministers, Madagascar fully aligns with the position of the African group. Drought affects 88% of our territory and Grand Sud remains exposed to severe recurring episodes. Given this reality, our approach is based on three pillars: follow-up and early warning, vulnerability assessment and risk preparation, and implementing anticipatory measures in response. Madagascar isn't just standing idly by, it's acting. As a member of the International Partnership for Resilience Against Drought, we are among the three pilot countries for implementing a drought investment plan in conjunction with our own national drought plan. As part of AFR 100, Madagascar is recognized as a country that's made progress in restoring land and forest, targeting environmental functions of soil and water resources in combating desertification and bolstering drought resilience. Our country has just hosted the ninth regional meeting of this initiative. To accelerate this action, we call for bolstered public financing, for innovative, accessible financing mechanisms adapted to the realities of the LDCs. We commend the Riyadh Global Partnership and call for equitable access to its facilities with streamlined procedures. Madagascar intends to mobilize its start allocation to fight land degradation and drought resilience and commends the GEF9 integrated program on arid lands and drought since drought is not just the matter of a single convention. We also call for enhanced technical and financial cooperation to extend early warning systems focused on women and children throughout schools, health care centers and social protection systems. COP17 must give clear political direction and a credible credible timeline towards adoption at COP 18. We need ongoing commitment. Affected communities can wait no longer. Madagascar is ready to contribute to pragmatic, ambitious results and to share its own experiences. Thank you.

I thank Madagascar for this statement. I now give the floor to Uganda. Uganda, you have the floor.

On behalf of the Uganda delegation, I thank the government and people of Mongolia for their warm hospitality and for hosting this important 17th session of the Conference of the Parties.

Uganda is honored to join the global dialogue on the restoration of rangelands and the well-being of pastoralist communities.

Rangelands covering more than half of the earth's land surface backbone of the food security, rural livelihood, and ecological stability. It has heightened the near half of the degraded, threatening pastoralist system by diversity and resilience. Uganda rangelands are central to the survival and prosperity of millions of livelihood, particularly in the Uganda cattle corridor. The ecosystem provided feed and water, sustain livelihood, and support the national economy. Therefore, degradation is not only an environmental concern, but a matter of human security, migration, and poverty alleviation. At COP17, under the same resolution of soaring hope, Uganda recognizing the urgency of elevating rangeland restoration from niche agenda to a global development priority. We therefore call for inclusive governance, that secures legitimate land rights for pastoralists and indigenous communities, reducing conflict and empowering stewardship.

Economic resilience through diverse livelihood, sustainable value chain, and market access to livestock products, particularly animal sourced food.

Dairy, meat, and.

And other products, skin and wool, specialized products such as honey, wax, gum, resin, and ecotourism. Environmental benefits by promoting soil health, water regulation, carbon sequestration, and adaptive management through innovative and policy incentive. Uganda strongly believe that partnership and collaboration are the cornerstone of success.

We must bridge the gap between the available finance and the needs to range land communities by scaling up technology sharing investment and knowledge exchange.

Mechanisms such as payment of ecosystem service and sustainable supply chain can transform the range land economies while safeguarding the ecosystem. We also recognize the importance of multilateral efforts to support development parties.

Uganda welcomes the role of the UNCCD, FAO, and other.

Parties in building capacity, mobilizing resources, and aligning range and restoration with national development plans, biodiversity and strategies, and climate adaptation framework.

I thank Uganda for the statement. We have heard the last speaker for this meeting. The remaining speakers will be heard this afternoon. With this, the meeting is adjourned.