As Mongolia hosts the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) from 17 to 28 August in Ulaanbaatar, the EU is calling on the parties to speed up negotiations and maintain the Convention’s level of ambition (see EUROPE 13900/14).
In a joint statement published Wednesday 26 August, the EU and its Member States present at the conference regret the “less constructive” attitude certain parties have adopted, which has so far prevented certain agenda items from being discussed. They call on all delegations to adopt a constructive approach to achieve practical and ambitious results.
In particular, the EU wants to strengthen the implementation of commitments to land restoration, drought resilience, food security, and sustainable soil management. It also advocates for increased cooperation on desertification, biodiversity, and climate across the three Rio conventions.
COP17 builds on the progress made on desertification at COP16 held in Riyadh (2024), particularly on protecting and restoring agricultural land.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/n50 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)