Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment calls for binding global action on drought and increased land restoration finance at UNCCD COP17

South Africa calls for binding global action on drought and increased land restoration finance at UNCCD COP17

Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Bernice Swarts, is leading South Africa’s delegation to the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), taking place from 17 to 28 August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under the theme, “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope”.

South Africa will use the COP17 to advocate for stronger international cooperation on drought resilience, increased financing for land restoration and an effective post-2030 strategic framework for the Convention.

South Africa participates in COP17 with practical experience in restoring degraded landscapes and strengthening its national response to desertification, land degradation and drought. Of the approximately 17 million hectares initially identified under the country’s voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality targets in 2018, approximately 2.9 million hectares have been restored, conserved or placed under sustainable management.

South Africa has since reviewed and updated its targets through the second phase of the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme. The revised target commits the country to the restoration, rehabilitation, conservation, maintenance and sustainable management of eight million hectares of degraded landscapes. The revised target is intended to provide a more realistic and implementable framework that is specific, time-bound, quantitative, spatially explicit, gender-responsive and better integrated into national planning. Its implementation will, however, require significantly increased financial and technical support.

“Land degradation and drought are not abstract environmental concerns for South Africa. They directly affect water security, food production, rural livelihoods, economic resilience and the well-being of vulnerable communities. South Africa goes to COP17 determined to turn global commitments into measurable action. This requires predictable finance, practical partnerships and an international drought response that matches the scale and urgency of the challenge,” said Deputy Minister Swarts.

A central priority for South Africa will be advancing negotiations towards a legally binding protocol on drought under the UNCCD. The 20th ordinary session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment nominated South Africa as Africa’s drought champion leading up to COP17, supported by co-champions advocating for the protocol.

South Africa will therefore support the African position calling for a binding instrument that strengthens international cooperation, accountability and implementation in preparing for, responding to and recovering from drought. Such an instrument should place greater emphasis on proactive drought-risk management instead of relying primarily on emergency responses after communities, livelihoods and ecosystems have already been affected.

South Africa will also call for the mobilisation of substantially greater financial and technical resources for affected developing countries. Desertification, land degradation and drought remain among the least-funded priorities across the three Rio Conventions, despite their direct links to climate resilience, biodiversity, food security, water security and sustainable development.

The country supports the mobilisation of resources from all available sources, including the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, multilateral development institutions and bilateral and private-sector partners. South Africa will further support decisions that reaffirm the obligation of developed countries to provide adequate and predictable support to affected developing countries.

COP17 will also consider recommendations on the future strategic framework of the Convention beyond 2030. South Africa will advocate for a framework that is inclusive, science-based and measurable, while remaining responsive to the different circumstances, priorities and capacities of Parties.

“Restoring land is ultimately about restoring opportunity and hope. The decisions taken in Ulaanbaatar must enable countries to protect livelihoods, strengthen resilience and deliver visible improvements in the lives of people who depend most directly on healthy land,” said Deputy Minister Swarts.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is the principal global agreement addressing desertification, land degradation and drought and has 197 Parties.

COP17 is the first Conference of the Parties of the three Rio Conventions to be convened in 2026. It coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, placing particular emphasis on the contribution of rangelands and pastoral communities to land restoration, biodiversity conservation, food security and climate resilience.

The twenty-fourth session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention and the seventeenth session of the Committee on Science and Technology will take place alongside COP17.

South Africa’s national implementation

South Africa’s voluntary Land Degradation Neutrality targets were approved by Cabinet on 24 October 2024. Budget reductions across the three spheres of government and the reprioritisation of programmes affected progress against the original targets and contributed to the subsequent review.

South Africa was among 18 countries supported by the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD to review and update their targets through the second phase of the Land Degradation Neutrality Target Setting Programme.

South Africa reported on the implementation of the UNCCD Strategic Framework in 2018 and 2022. Working with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and national stakeholders, the country will prepare its 2026 UNCCD national report for submission by February 2027.

The report will be developed through an inclusive process involving government departments, public entities, civil society organisations, researchers and communities. It will cover progress relating to ecosystem condition, sustainable land management, affected populations, drought resilience, global environmental benefits and the mobilisation of financial and non-financial resources.

This work will also support coordination between South Africa’s land-restoration reporting under the UNCCD, Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030.

Key COP17 processes

COP17 is expected to:

• Advance international measures to address desertification, land degradation and drought.

• Accelerate the restoration of degraded landscapes by 2030 and beyond.

• Strengthen drought preparedness and resilience at global, regional and national levels.

• Mobilise increased investment in sustainable land management and restoration.

• Consider the future strategic framework of the UNCCD beyond 2030.

Under the Steppe Action Agenda, Mongolia is expected to launch three flagship initiatives:

• The Rangeland Flagship Initiative, promoting sustainable rangeland management and restoration across dryland regions.

• Nature-based solutions for sustainable infrastructure, aimed at fostering public-private partnerships and collaborative investment.

• The Water-Land Nexus Initiative, addressing interconnected water and land challenges in dryland regions.

High-level and thematic events

The Riyadh-Ulaanbaatar Action Agenda will include high-level and special events intended to mobilise political support, partnerships and investment. The programme includes:

• Finance Day on 24 August 2026, focused on accelerating the mobilisation of financial resources.

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