The Beginning of COP17 of Desertification
The 2026 Conference of the Parties (COP) has begun in Mongolia, with the COP17 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in the capital Ulaanbaatar. Over the next two weeks, diplomats from nearly 200 countries will negotiate proposals that can reposition the UNCCD on the international stage, with more political weight to an agenda that has been historically neglected by the global community: that of desertification, land degradation, and restoration, and water resilience.
The Importance of UNCCD
The UNCCD is one of the "Conventions of Rio", along with the Conventions on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNCCD wants to take advantage of the meeting to unlock its most ambitious proposal to date: the construction of an international mechanism for drought management, supporting governments with funding, cooperation, and planning.
The International Mechanism for Drought Management
The idea was presented two years ago, at COP16 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), by African countries, but did not advance due to the resistance of some developed countries. In the meantime, a negotiating group was tasked with seeking alternatives to this mechanism, which should return to the agenda now in Ulaanbaatar.
Why This Matters
The proposal would represent a significant political advance for the UNCCD. Unlike the biodiversity and climate conventions, which negotiated agreements and internal mechanisms to drive measures for biodiversity protection (such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework) and addressing the climate crisis (such as the Paris Agreement), the Desertification Convention has not been able to achieve something similar in over 30 years of operation, leaving it in a condition of lesser political relevance compared to its "sisters".
The Current Context
The timing of COP17 could not be more opportune. After all, several continents are suffering the effects of drought driven by climate change and which is expected to gain strength under El Niño, which is heading towards being one of the strongest ever recorded – if not the strongest.
The Situation in Brazil
The negotiation is of direct interest to Brazil. The increase in frequency and intensity of droughts in the Semi-arid region and other parts of the territory brings the agenda closer to sectors such as agriculture, energy, and water resource management. Therefore, Brazil will take the largest delegation in its history to the UNCCD to COP17, with over 100 members, including representatives from ministries, state governments, and civil society organizations.
Brazilian Initiatives
One of the initiatives that the country will present is the Recatingar Program, a project for the socio-productive recovery of degraded lands in the Caatinga. The objective is to draw the attention of international institutions and funders to this restoration agenda.
Consequences of Desertification
Currently, around 18% of Brazilian territory is subject to desertification, in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, with a highlight on the Caatinga, which covers the entire Northeast and part of Minas Gerais. Around 39 million Brazilians are impacted by the effects of desertification.
Next Steps
With COP17 underway, it is essential that countries work together to find solutions to desertification and soil degradation. The construction of an international mechanism for drought management is an important step in this sense.
Source / Reference
Source: ClimaInfo