(Opening Ceremony) 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - UNCCD COP17

through generations, stretching across more than one and a half million square kilometers, from the deep burial forests and endless rangelands to the towering Altai Mountains and the sweeping Gobi Desert. Nomadic herders continue their timeless way of life, tending livestock on the open pastures. We live in harmony with our planet, carrying the wisdom of the nomadic way of life. Yet, the global challenge of climate change, drought, desertification, and land degradation has not spared us. Today, nearly 80% of Mongolia's land bears the impact of desertification. It is our solemn duty to protect the sacred land entrusted by our ancestors and to safeguard our planet so it may be passed intact to future generations. If we fail to act today, Tomorrow may be too late. Millions of voices, one message. Mongolia has the honor of hosting COP 17, the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Adopted in 1994, the convention remains the world's only global treaty dedicated to tackling drought, desertification, and land degradation. the most urgent challenges in land management today Mongolia joined in 1996 now three decades later we proudly welcome the global community to Ulaanbaatar the year 2026 carries even greater meaning marking the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists the 8th World Reindeer Herders Congress and the International Year of Women Farmers a powerful convergence voices for land, livelihoods and sustainability. This year, thousands of delegates from 197 nations will gather at COP17. Here, the world will unite to confront the pressing challenges of our time, to forge new partnerships, bringing governments and donors closer in shared mission, and to stand together, leaving behind a legacy for generations to come. At COP17, Mongolia will present the Rangelands Flagship Initiative, the Integrated Water and Land Management Initiative, and the Nature-based Solutions for Infrastructure Initiative, each designed to inspire action, attract investment, and deliver lasting benefits for people and the planet. We invite you to stand with us at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar. Welcome to Mongolia.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, so many centuries our nomadic ancestors have been preserving the old traditions and you are most welcome to You are most welcome to our land of democratic civilization.

Ladies and gentlemen, we now.

Of the 70th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Her Excellency Ms. Yasmin Fouad, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNCCD. His Excellency Mr. Sandagocher Tsint, Member of the State Great Khural and Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia, Chair of the National Committee for the Management and Coordination of Preparations for 70th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD. His Excellency Dr. Osama Ibrahim Fakihah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD, and members of State, Great Hural and Government of Mongolia, and also representatives of the United Nations and its agencies. Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen, our sincere gratitude to you all for joining us on the opening ceremony. Thank you.

Music. Music. Music. Music. Thank you. Music.

Nature is not something separate from us. It is a living entity with which we are mutually connected. Therefore, let us soothe and celebrate our mountains, rivers, and land, sun and wind, and the natural world through the melodies of homi, Mongolian overtone singing, a tradition that Mongolians have cherished and passed down from generation to generation for centuries.

Thank you. Music. Music. And. Music. Oh. Oh.

We Mongolians traditionally greet and honor our esteemed guests by offering a khadaag, a ceremonial blue silk scarf as a symbol of peace, goodwill, and our wishes for happiness and prosperity. Today, this khadaag is offered not merely as a gesture of greeting, but as a blessing for the restoration and renewal of our Mother Earth.

Music.

Dear delegates, esteemed guests, Let us greet you all by offering the blue hadag, symbolizing pure and pristine nature and water, the source of all life. Let us present the green hadag, symbolizing trees, the embodiment of renewal, growth, and the beginning of new life. And at last, let us offer the yellow hadag, symbolizing the land, the foundation of our existence, our sustenance, and our future.

As.

A gesture of respect and goodwill to all distinguished guests to all delegates of this international event ladies and gentlemen please your attention to the screen.

Land is more than the ground beneath our feet. It is the foundation of our food, water, livelihoods and future. For more than three decades, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification has brought the world together to address desertification, land degradation and drought. From COP16 in Riyadh to the COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, the global message has become clear. We must move from commitments to action and from action to measurable results. Mongolia is ready to contribute to this global effort. Our green transition, energy reform, and national initiatives such as the Billion Trees Movement and Unlock Mongolia initiative reflect a broader commitment to building a resilient and sustainable economy. Through initiatives like the Business for Land, Mayors Forum, and the first-ever Indigenous Peoples Forum, COP17 is an opportunity to accelerate action, mobilize investment, and scale up practical solutions for land restoration and drought resilience. Mongolia calls on the international community to invest in restoring land, strengthen resilience to drought and desertification, and turn sustainable land use into a driver of green economic growth. This is essential to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and building a future where people and nature can thrive together. From the heart of the Mongolian steppe, we invite the world to join us. Welcome to COP17 in Mongolia, August 17-28, 2026. Restoring land, restoring hope.

Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, dear delegates, I now have the honor of inviting His Excellency Mr. Uchirad Nyamser, Prime Minister of Mongolia, to deliver his opening remarks. Please welcome. Your Excellency, the floor is yours.

Distinguished heads of delegation, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Ms. Yasmine Fouad, distinguished guests and delegates, ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of the Government of Mongolia, I wish to extend my heartfelt greetings to you all and warmly welcome you to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, for the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Before I begin, I wish to express my deepest condolences on the passing of Mr. Batchirgal Tzamba, a distinguished Mongolian statesman, former Minister of Environment, honored environmentalist of Mongolia, and the recipient of the State Prize of Mongolia, who chairs the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 2000. He passed away unexpectedly on 6th of August, 2026. I kindly ask you to join me in observing a minute of silence in his honor. Distinguished delegates, we, the citizens of the world, share one home and we are one family. All 8.2 billion of us are children of Mother Earth. The continued and peaceful existence of humanity on our planet requires the efforts of every nation. Across the world, we are witnessing devastating heat, raging wildfires, drying rivers, and sudden extreme cold, while glaciers and polar ice are melting. Our languages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religions may differ, but we share a common determination to safeguard a future in which we can all continue to live in harmony with our Mother Earth. This is why we have gathered here in our country, united in our common resolve to combat desertification for our shared home, for Mother Earth, for ourselves and for our future. Today, we are opening a new chapter in our collective efforts to protect and restore the land resources of our planet and in our shared responsibility for the world we leave to future generations. Since the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in 1994 and entered into force in 1996, Countries around the world have increasingly recognized that desertification, land degradation and drought are challenges that transcend national borders and must be addressed collectively by humanity. Over this period, one of the greatest achievements of the international community has been to bring land to the center of development agenda. Today, the world recognizes that land degradation is not merely an issue of soil and vegetation. It's a complex ecosystem issue inextricably linked to food, water, livelihoods, poverty, health, migration, economy, peace and security. An important outcome. of the convention is that countries have incorporated their goal of achieving land degradation neutrality into their national policies, developed their systems for science, monitoring and reporting, and engaged not only governments but also the private sector, civil society and local communities in land restoration. Yet today, the time has come for us to ask ourselves a bold and candid question. We have spoken at length and made many declarations, but have we been able to turn our words into action? The 16th session of the Conference of the Parties held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marked an important step in advancing the issues of land degradation, drought resilience, land restoration, financing, science, innovation, and rangelands and pastoralists at the global policy level. Subsequently, the 23rd session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention held in Panama further highlights the need to strengthen implementation at the national level and to improve reporting, capacity and the science-policy interface. All previous sessions have produced meaningful outcomes, yet it's also true that the world has never lacked goals and commitments. What we need more urgently now are the resources, financing, technology, and institutional environment to turn those commitments into tangible results. Therefore, I wish to emphasize that COP17 should not be a conference where we repeat previous decisions and declarations, but rather accelerate implementation. As the Prime Minister and the Head of the Government of Mongolia, distinguished delegates, Mongolia, our vast country, is among those most severely affected by the challenges facing the world today. On this vast territory, where there are only two people for every square kilometer, 77% of our land, or in other words, eight out of every ten steps of land is affected by desertification and land degradation and is increasingly being covered by encroaching sands. Since joining the Convention, Mongolia has consistently pursued policies to combat land degradation and desertification. We have set our national target of achieving land degradation neutrality and are integrating sustainable rangeland management, the protection of forests, water and soil, and land restoration into our development policies. Climate change, drought, dzud, water scarcity and rangeland degradation are causing serious harm to the livelihoods of herder households engaged in our traditional pastoralism, as well as to food and national security, rural development, economy, and resilience of our nomadic culture. The Building Trees National Movement initiated by the President of Mongolia is a clear example of this effort. We are not simply planting trees. We are working towards long-term results in restoring ecosystems, protecting soil, water, and biodiversity, and reducing the adverse impacts of climate change. The intellectual and cultural heritage of Mongolian people is deeply rooted in our reverence and care of nature. As one of the world's last nomadic peoples, Mongolians have preserved the way of life rooted in taking only what's needed from nature. Even when hunting, we would leave a share for the wolf rather than take more than necessary. Even when picking a tree or picking a flower, we would ask nature's blessing. We have preserved this distinct way of life as a defining characteristic of our nation, living without leaving anything unnecessary behind in nature. In essence, ours is a culture that does not live to consume, but consumes only what is needed to live. Mongolians have long celebrated our mountains, rivers, and lakes in countless songs and poems, bestowed upon them official titles, and revered and worshiped them as sacred. Yet today, thousands of our once blue lakes and crystal clear rivers and streams remain only in songs, old photographs, and images. One of the most precious and unique aspects of our culture that we can showcase to the world is our millennial old knowledge and traditions associated with rangelands and nomadic pastoralism. Nomadic pastoralism is a way of life built not on confronting nature, but on living in harmony with it. By carrying forward this ancient heritage and using our rangeland wisely, we will continue our efforts to strengthen food systems, sustain the livelihoods of herder communities, conserve biodiversity and soil and water resources. The United Nations designation of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists at the initiative Mongolia provides a historic opportunity to advance these issues at the global policy level. By linking this opportunity with COP17, Mongolia seeks to fulfill its goal of promoting a broader global understanding of rangelands. not simply as land undergoing degradation, but as vital ecosystems that require investment, generate economic value, and connect food, nature, and the livelihoods of pastoralist communities. For us, land restoration is not a matter at odds with development policies. Rather, we need to change our approach to the quality and inclusive of development. Our goal is to make environmental protection a driver of economic growth, use natural resources responsibly, and lay the foundation for long-term sustainable development based on innovation, technology, and investment. My government is implementing the Unlock Mongolia national initiative to reduce red tape for citizens and businesses, unnecessary regulations, and excessive state intervention, while promoting economic freedom, private sector growth, and free competition. As an important component of this initiative, under the Unlocking Green Development Framework, we have enacted Mongolia's first dedicated law on climate change by the State Great Hural of Mongolia, accelerated energy transition, and are ushering in a new era of environmental protection and restoration based on the participation of citizens, the private sector, and local communities. Most importantly, for a landlocked developing country such as Mongolia, the green transition is becoming a pathway to reducing our dependence on imported fuel and energy, one of the fundamental challenges constraining our economic development. To expand renewable energy from solar and wind sources, address our energy shortages, enable every household to become an energy producer, and attract interest and active participation of investors, we have reduced administrative procedures fivefold and shortened the approval process from six months to just 11 days. This year, we have begun implementing a number of renewable energy projects, and hundreds of households are already starting to become energy producers. Our journey of unlocking green development, moving from coal to solar, is well underway with strong momentum. At a time when the world witnesses fuel shortage due to a range of geopolitical factors, we are taking a number of policy and financing measures to increase the use of electric vehicles for personal use, public transport, mining and freight. As a result, people's behaviors and attitudes are changing. People are gaining more choices and the transition towards green transport is underway. This summer, in partnership with the private sector, we established Mongolia's first 60 fast charging stations for electric vehicles. This marks the beginning of our efforts to connect our vast country through a network of green stations. Drawing inspiration from our history, when a network of relay stations increased across much of the world in 13th century, I am confident that we can once again connect our country through a network of green stations. Building on our newly enacted law on climate change and the opportunities available for us to participate in carbon markets, we are developing the nomads of the sunny steppe program. Through this program, we aim to bring together within one integrated system the livelihoods of herder households, sustainable rangeland management, livestock health, product quality, market access, and export competitiveness. Our goal is to establish a system in which herders who protect and manage their rangelands responsibly earn higher incomes, herders who produce quality and high-value products receive greater returns, and local communities that restore ecosystems and support renewable energy benefit from the economic gains. We are also gradually introducing artificial intelligence, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and satellite technologies into land monitoring and natural resource management. Our goal is to establish a system that not only measures environmental challenges, but also anticipates risks and enables us to plan policies and investments based on evidence. Another important initiative under the Unlocking Green Development Framework is to establish a nationwide network of smart green schools, providing future generations with education for sustainable development in environmentally friendly settings with green infrastructure. Furthermore, building on the unique ecosystem in which Mongolia is called steppe region, we aim to create a legal and regulatory framework for developing green data centers and contribute to global innovation and technological progress. If we can achieve this, we will no longer have to choose between protecting the environment and sustaining people's livelihoods. Instead, we can create a new model of development in which the more we protect nature, the more we have increased income, and the more income increases, the stronger the incentive to protect nature, where one reinforces the other. Distinguished guests and delegates, The greatest change we expect from COP17 is a shift from words to action, from targets to implementation, and from commitments to measurable results. Therefore, Mongolia calls on this conference to make tangible progress in the following areas. First, let us address land, climate, and biodiversity not as separate issues, but as interconnected and integrated challenges. Second, let us increase investment in land restoration and bring cooperation among governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector to a new level. Third, let us make drought resilience not merely an environmental policy, but a core component of development policy. Fourth, let us place rangelands, pastoralists, and the knowledge and participation of local communities at the center of global land management policies. Fifth, let us turn science, technology, and innovation into real solutions and real investment. Sixth, let us work together to create an enabling environment for implementation that turns commitments into measurable results. To this end, we call for new partnerships with development partners, international financial institutions, the private sector, and countries to address barriers to financing, technology, capacity, and regulatory frameworks. Distinguished guests and delegates, the global community is running late to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030. The most important outcome of our gathering here today should not simply be the adoption of decisions with modest commitments after many hours of discussion and negotiation. Rather, it should be concrete agreements that define our next steps, measurable results, and partnerships that can be implemented. For example, as part of Mongolia's preparations for COP17, the Office of the President of Mongolia established the National Green Lab, a public-private partnership platform. It's playing an important role in preparing green projects aimed at protecting, sustainably managing, and restoring Mongolian rangeland ecosystems for investment and connecting them with international financing. I call personally on all delegates and partner organizations to learn more about these projects and to support Mongolia's innovative green initiatives. As the host and president of the first of the three Rio Conventions COPs to be held this year, Mongolia is committed to working closely with the presidencies of the other two conventions to strengthen policy synergy and cooperation. Mongolia is determined to make this conference a platform for solutions. We will listen to all voices, respect different positions, and promote dialogue based on consensus that is open, transparent and inclusive. I believe that the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties beginning here amid Mongolia's vast steppes will mark a historic turning point, one at which the world recognizes that restoring land is not merely one objective of environmental protection, but a foundation for human development, livelihoods, food security, peace, and shared prosperity. Let us cherish and protect our Mother Earth, the birthplace of humanity, and create more together than we have created before, so that humanity may live in peace and endure forever. Let us restore our land, let us restore our hope, and let us build our future together.

English delegates, ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the national anthem of Mongolia.

Thank you.

Thank you, Prime Minister, distinguished delegates, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, now it is my honor to invite Her Excellency Ms. Yasmin Fouad, United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to deliver her remarks. Please welcome.

Good morning, Your Excellency, Ochvan Nyam, Prime Minister of the Government of Mongolia. Your Excellency, Batmunkh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and incoming President of COP17. Your Excellency, Minister Tsand, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the Government of Mongolia. Your Excellency, Dr. Al-Faqih, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and COP16 President, Parties to the UNCCD Convention, colleagues from other UN organizations and other international organizations, representatives from the civil society and observers, and my colleagues at the UNCCD. Let me start by paying and reiterating our condolences to Dr. Zamba Barjako, the COP4 president, for his passing away. May his soul rest in peace. At the outset, I'd like to thank the Prime Minister and the President of Mongolia, as well as ministers and much more, the people of this government for taking over and hosting us in this beautiful city of Ulaanbaatar in this beautiful weather. And hosting COP15 does not only about restoring land, as His Excellency the Prime Minister indicated, It comes as the first in the Rio+30 year, and that is restoring hope. I'd like to focus in this small speech about Mongolia and how Mongolia is particularly hosting that cup and what we're seeing here today. Mongolia has already been suffering and understanding what does it mean land degradation. And what does rangeland would mean to this country that goes beyond the environment aspect? It relates to the socioeconomic status. It relates to the realities of the people. The parade that we saw today, the conference that the Minister of Agriculture has hosted for three days for the pastoralists from over 100 countries. is an evidence, is a testimony that land degradation and rangeland pastoralists and their livelihood is embedded in this country. And for that reason, it's much more place to host us here in this beautiful city. Thank you. Thank you for bringing us here, for bringing these topics and linking it to livelihood, to food security, to water security, and simply to the future of our upcoming generation. By hosting this cup, you will be bringing not only the realities, but you are bringing Also, as we heard you, Prime Minister, the investment, the finance, the other economic aspects, we will bring in other conventions into that process as well as looking further beyond COP17. How can we tackle land issues and how best innovation and science and policy be all hand in hand? We heard you, Prime Minister, and the Secretariat will continue working with the COP17 presidency with all parties, with international organization and hearing the voices of the pastoralists and the herders will be on the top of that in order to achieve a COP, but not a usual COP and not only a successful COP, but I would say a COP that will repair the ecosystem, but by doing so, it will restore livelihood, resilience and hope that the multilateral system is still alive and can bring action on the ground. Thank you very much, Prime Minister, and for the government of Mongolia and people for hosting us here.

Thank you. United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of UNCCD, Ms. Yasmin Fouad. Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished delegates, dear guests, The opening ceremony has now come to a close. I now have the honor to invite His Excellency Dr. Osama Ibrahim Fakih, Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and President of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to take the stage and preside over the next part of the conference. is welcome, His Excellency Dr. Osama Ibrahim Fakia.