Mongolia: Indian Ambassador visits UNCCD COP17 venue
Ulaanbaatar, Aug 6
India's Ambassador to Mongolia, Atul Malhari Gotsurve, on Thursday visited the venue of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's Conference of the Parties in Ulaanbaatar.
"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 session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UNCCD will be hosted by Mongolia in its capital city, Ulaanbaatar, from August 17 to 28 under the theme of 'Restoring Land. Restoring Hope'.
According to UNCCD, COP17 is expected to bring together delegates from UNCCD's 197 parties, alongside leaders from government, business and civil society, as well as scientists, youth, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and smallholder farmers. They will convene to forge solutions to the interconnected challenges of desertification, land degradation and drought, recognising that restoring land is also essential to reducing instability, preventing displacement and strengthening human and national security in vulnerable regions.
COP17 is taking place during the United Nations International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026), declared by the United Nations General Assembly and championed by Mongolia.
UNCCD stated that this presents a major opportunity to accelerate action on the sustainable management, restoration and conservation of rangelands, while spotlighting the needs of pastoralist communities who depend directly on these ecosystems for their livelihoods.
During the two-week conference, participants will engage in a high-level segment including ministerial dialogues, alongside multistakeholder forums and thematic discussions on science-policy integration, innovation and solutions, tools and technologies, and financing. In addition to formal negotiations, COP17 is expected to catalyse collective action on rangelands, resilience and water, as well as food systems and soil health.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Mongolia hosting this is interesting! We share the challenge of drylands and pastoral communities. IYRP 2026 is a great initiative to highlight the importance of rangelands. 👏
Honestly, while these conferences are important, I hope the discussions translate into on-ground results. We have been talking about desertification for decades but farmers in dry regions still struggle. India needs to take leadership in sharing low-cost, scalable solutions like drip irrigation and agroforestry with other nations.
Great to see our ambassador engaging with the diplomatic corps ahead of COP17. Mongolia and India share the Himalayas and Central Asian connection - we must cooperate on pasture management and climate resilience together. 🌏
I appreciate India's active role in these international climate forums. But I wish we would also focus more on our own land restoration targets - we have degraded nearly 30% of our land. Hope our delegation brings strong commitments to the table at COP17.
Impressive to see India's proactive diplomacy in Mongolia. The theme 'Restoring Land. Restoring Hope' is powerful - it connects environmental recovery with human security. Looking forward to seeing what concrete commitments emerge from COP17.
This is a proud moment for Indian diplomacy! Our ambassador's participation shows India's commitment to global environmental cooperation. The focus on pastoral
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.