Mongolia has successfully concluded a series of Gobi regional consultative meetings in preparation for the UN COP17 desertification summit. The gatherings took place across Dundgobi, Umnugobi, Dornogobi, and Gobisumber aimags under the theme Restoring Land, Restoring Hope. Furthermore, the meetings brought together government officials, herder communities, civil society groups, youth, and international development partners. Consequently, the sessions generated practical local recommendations that will directly inform Mongolia’s COP17 national position.
The urgency behind these consultations stems from Mongolia’s severe land degradation crisis. Approximately 77 percent of Mongolia’s total territory currently suffers from desertification and land degradation. Moreover, around 23 percent of affected land has lost the capacity for natural regeneration entirely. The Gobi regions rank among the most severely impacted areas across the entire country.
The meetings drew particular attention to pressing water-related challenges facing Gobi communities daily. Participants highlighted growing demand for drinking and household water, widespread water pollution concerns, and severely limited water resource availability. Additionally, access to functioning wells emerged as a critical and recurring issue across all four aimags. These water challenges compound the existing damage that desertification already inflicts on herder livelihoods and rangeland productivity.
Multiple international organizations jointly organized the consultations alongside Mongolia’s COP17 National Committee. Partners included UNESCO, GIZ, UNICEF, the European Union, and the NGO People in Need. Together, these organizations facilitated discussions on sustainable rangeland management, climate adaptation strategies, and investment opportunities for land restoration. Furthermore, participants exchanged successful practices currently helping communities combat ongoing land degradation across the region.
Participants also received detailed briefings on Mongolia’s Steppe Action Agenda, a national initiative Mongolia will present within the COP17 framework. Going forward, all recommendations, good practices, and proposals from the Gobi meetings will consolidate into formal local-level submissions. These submissions will shape Mongolia’s official negotiating position at UNCCD COP17 and reach the broader public through dissemination efforts. Ultimately, the Gobi consultations position Mongolia as an active and evidence-driven contributor to global desertification policy discussions.
