COP17 opens in Mongolia to tackle global land degradation

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification opened Monday in Ulaanbaatar for two weeks of negotiations themed "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope," marking the first time the Rio Convention institution has convened in East Asia and coming to a nation where desertification already affects 77% of territory, according to UNCCD figures. Delegations from 197 parties — 196 countries plus the European Union — are attending alongside ministers, scientists, Indigenous representatives and pastoralists to advance frameworks linking environmental protection with rural development, land management and drought resilience, distinct from parallel climate talks focusing on greenhouse gas emissions. African negotiators, supported by Saudi Arabia and small island states, have renewed demands for a legally binding drought management protocol at COP17 after the proposal stalled at December's Riyadh summit over opposition from the United States, the European Union, ...