Indian envoy visits UNCCD COP17 venue in Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar, August 6
India's Ambassador to Mongolia, Atul Malhari Gotsurve, inspected the host site for the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar on Thursday.
The visit was conducted alongside members of the resident diplomatic corps based in the Mongolian capital.
"On 6 August 2026, HE Mr Atul Malhari Gotsurve, Ambassador of India, along with the Resident Diplomatic Corps, visited the venue of the UNCCD COP17. Present at the event were HE Mr T Sandag Ochir, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, HE G Amartuvshin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, senior officials, etc," the Indian Embassy in Mongolia stated on X.
The 17th gathering of the UNCCD COP will be hosted by Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to 28 under the theme 'Restoring Land. Restoring Hope'.
Information released by the UNCCD highlights that the summit will assemble representatives from across its 197 member states. Attendees will comprise government authorities, corporate executives, civil society representatives, researchers, youth groups, indigenous populations, pastoralists and smallholder agricultural workers.
Delegates will assemble to formulate solutions addressing the intertwined challenges of land degradation, desertification and drought.
The summit recognises that land rehabilitation remains crucial for curtailing regional instability, mitigating forced displacement and reinforcing national and human security across vulnerable populations.
The convening of COP17 coincides with the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), a global initiative proclaimed by the UN General Assembly and spearheaded by Mongolia.
The UNCCD highlighted that this offers a vital platform to accelerate measures geared towards the sustainable stewardship, restoration and conservation of rangeland environments, while elevating the priorities of pastoral communities whose livelihoods depend directly on these ecosystems.
During the two-week conference, attendees will participate in high-level sessions, including ministerial dialogues, alongside multistakeholder interactive panels and thematic discussions focusing on science-policy integration, innovation, technological tools and financial mechanisms.
Beyond formal negotiations, COP17 aims to drive collaborative action centred on rangelands, climate resilience, water security, food systems and soil quality.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Land degradation is a serious issue in India too, especially in states like Rajasthan and parts of MP. Its nice that our embassy officials are engaging with this before the summit. Hope the government pushes for better funding for restoration projects 🤞
The theme "Restoring Land. Restoring Hope" is powerful. We need more emphasis on involving local communities and farmers in these discussions, not just government officials. Our own experience shows that grassroots participation makes land restoration way more sustainable.
Its good that India is present, but I feel we should be louder in these forums. Land degradation in India is huge, but we often play a passive role. Hope our delegation comes back with concrete commitments and not just photo ops. no offense to the ambassador.
Interesting to see India engaging here. The IYRP 2026 is a great initiative since rangelands cover a huge part of Central Asia. Hopefully they ll address the financial mechanisms properly, because that s always where these summits fall short.
Good initiative, but we need to see stronger follow-up on past commitments. We ve had so many COPs and desertification still keeps getting worse in places like Bundelkhand. Hope Mongolia sets a new standard with actual implementation plans, not just speeches.
D Deepak U