UNCCD (Desertification) COP17

 From 17 to 28 August 2026, CIRAD will be participating in the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The international conference, under the banner of "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope", will bring together the 197 Parties to the Convention, along with scientists, decision-makers, international organisations and grassroots players, to speed up operations to restore soils and of boost resilience to drought. The agenda for this COP17 will centre on four thematic days devoted to finance, water, land, and people, along with food systems and soil health.

During the event, CIRAD will be organising side events with partners from France, Europe and the global South.

Global Pastoralist Gathering and Conference

10-15 August 2026, Mongolia

CIRAD will be participating in this event, which is due to attract more than 300 representatives from 102 countries. The recommendations to be made at the gathering, focusing on sustainable rangeland management and pastoralism, will be passed on at UNCCD COP17, as part of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
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In the blue zone

CIRAD will be in the Blue Zone, organising side events with partners from France, Europe and the global South.

Pastoral Systems & the Rio Conventions: science for policy and finance to unlock co-benefits

Monday 17 August 2026, 13:00-14:00 (AST GMT +3), UNCCD Pavilion, MET 23, organised by the Comité Scientifique Français de la Désertification

This side event will shine a spotlight on the under-valued role of pastoral systems, which represent almost half the world's land area, in the fight against soil degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss. Based on a scientific synthesis and case studies, the participants will draft concrete recommendations for better understanding, measuring and financing the co-benefits of such systems, for policymakers and donors involved in the Rio Conventions (UNCCD, UNFCCC, CBD).
Further information to follow 

Counter-mapping pastoral mobility: traditional knowledge, land justice and sustainable rangeland management

Tuesday 18 August 2026, 8:30-10:00 (AST GMT +3), UNCCD Pavilion, MET 02, organised by CIRAD in partnership with Rangeland-Greengold, AFPAT, CILSS, ILRI-CGIAR and the International Land Coalition

This side event will show how counter-mapping, which combines traditional know-how and participatory mapping, can make pastoral mobility, which is still largely overlooked in land management policy, visible. It will bring together pastoralist leaders, scientists, NGOs and decision-makers from Africa, Europe and Asia, and will demonstrate how the approach supports integrated landscape management, reduces land conflict, secures mobile and collective rights and fuels climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation in arid zones.
Further information to follow

Restoring the Value of Rangelands: leveraging multifunctionality for sustainable investment

Friday 21 August 2026, 8:30 -10:00 (AST GMT +3), UNCCD Pavilion, MET 04, organised by CIRAD in partnership with FAO and the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL)

This side event will show how a multi-functional approach, combining food production, sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation, serves to promote rangelands and grasslands, which are often seen as degraded. Based on experiments in Africa and Asia (including the Nomad4Life initiative in Mongolia) and eight international case studies, the session will present a shared framework and practical tools for steering investment, public policy and land tenure governance, by boosting the role of local pastoral communities.
Further information to follow