(5th Meeting) 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - UNCCD COP17

Good afternoon, everyone.
Where we are going to start, we are going to continue.
I hope you had a good lunch.
I call to order the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to combat desertification at its 17th session.
With this, I want to pass the floor to the first speaker of this afternoon session, and that is Azerbijan in the least, followed by Mari Tanya.
Distinguished representative of Azerbijan, you have the floor.
Welcome.
I apologize, Madam Deputy Minister.
Before passing the floor, I would like to warmly welcome all the participants to the continuation of the ministerial dialogue on innovative financial mechanisms for healthy land and drought resilience under agenda item six.
We will now continue to hear the remaining speakers on the list.
I would like to remind delegations that all speakers in the ministerial dialogues will have a maximum of 3 minutes to deliver to deliver their statements.
This was announced at the time of inscription, as well as on the website and the daily journal of the conference.
Time limits will be strictly enforced by automatic microphone cutoff.
A timer will be projected on the screen.
To assist speakers to observe the time limit, their microphone will start blinking 30 seconds before the time limit elapses.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Azerbijan.
You have the floor, Madam Minister.
Excellency, distinguished colleagues, firstly, on behalf of Republic of Azerbaijan, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to the government and people of Mongolia for its warm hospitality in this beautiful city of Ulamata.
I would like also to express our gratitude to Yen CCD, Secretariat, for the excellent organization of this important event.
Dear colleagues, 2030 agenda and REA conventions are closely interlinked.
We need to align our action at national and international levels.
It depends on critical factors like finance, technology transfer, and multilateral cooperation based on equal opportunity for all, especially for developing countries.
Dear colleagues, under the leadership of the President of Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Iham Av, we hosted Cop 29 of UNF Triple C.
New climate goals, as well as finalization of the rule governing of carbon markets represented a pivotal moment for meaningful implementation and achieved linked targets.
At the national level, Azerbaijan 2013 national priorities for socioeconomic development provides pathway to ensure the ecosystem restoration and strengthen the resilience across the country.
Most of our actities will be implemented by government investment.
However, given the scale of financing required to achieve our objective, traditional funding models alone may not be sufficient to complement public resources, mobilizing private capital and creating an enabled environmental for climate.
Investment will be also essential.
Azerbijan is building partnerships with businesses, development banks, and international organization to unlock green investment, promote low carbon innovation, and empower SMEs.
Colleagues, extreme weather events, floods and droughts cause major economic losses and damage soil and water quality.
We should not only respond to disasters, but also invest in preparedness and adaptation.
Improving early warning system using nature based solution can help address also drought resilience.
Azerbijan is investing in modernization of its early warning system, the government investment.
We successfully cooperate with UNEP and GCF on this issue.
Dear all.
A 2030 is not far away, implementation is a real test and the success will depend on I thank the distinguished representative of Azerbaijan.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Uruguay.
You have the floor.
Chair, Distinguished Ministers, delegates.
Uruguay believes that land preservation or conservation and the strengthening of drought resilience requires or hinges on moving from committing to sustain policies, long term policies as a prerequisite for innovative financing mechanisms.
For many decades, we have had policies that protect water and soil.
In 2008, the national policy for water in Uruguay or since then has been the strategic framework for integrated management of water resources.
Since the 70s, we have had a normative framework and a stewardship system for soil conservation and erosion mitigation.
However, we must take an additional step.
We must recognize the value of services provided by the ecosystems themselves.
This includes their contribution to water regulation, the protection of soils, and climate resilience.
Further, we must explore international financing mechanisms that recognize the conservation efforts.
We must generate incentives that allow for sustained policies.
We must thus avoid the costs falling exclusively on the shoulders of the producers and the national budgets.
Investing in soil and water or land and water conservation is also to invest in territorial resiliency and productive systems and communities.
Our experience shows that there are concrete opportunities to do these things.
Uruguay has developed a sovereign bond index to climate change indicators.
This links the financing conditions with bonds to the achievement of environmental objectives.
We also have instruments to channel resources to the conservation of biodiversity and the adaptation to climate change such as our climate and nature funds, economic and tax incentives to conserve native forests.
We also have preferential credit lines for investment projects that focus on sustainability from the private banking sector.
These instruments show that environmental objectives can be directly incorporated into economic and financial decision making.
It is clear that there is no single financial instrument.
We must combine sustainable sovereign financing with public funds, tax incentives, private investment, mechanisms that recognize ecosystem services and international financing.
Uruguay proposes then that we strengthen international cooperation to identify, develop, and scale up innovative financial mechanisms that allow for the mobilization of resources to the sound was cut off notes the interpreter.
I thank the distinguished representative of Uruguay.
Next in the list is Mauritania.
So I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mauritania.
May peace be with you, Chair Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
Honorable members of this meeting, I have the honor of conveying to you the greetings and salutations of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
We thank the people and government of Mongolia for the hospitality and for the generosity.
As a semi arid and arid country, we face a great many challenges as a result of land degradation, drought, water scarcity, as well as desertification.
This affects food security.
It affects our means of subsistence and development.
This affects as well, stability.
We are continuing with our efforts to restore lands and fight against desertification for sustainable management of range lands and pastoralists.
Financing is a key challenge.
We invite the international community to strengthen financing and to facilitate access for developing countries to climate financing and environmental financing.
We see it is absolutely necessary to adopt a comprehensive approach that is based on the link between land, water, energy, and agriculture.
This strengthens food security and improves resource management.
It also allows for capacity building and resiliency for communities.
Land restoration is not a simple environmental priority.
It is an investment In food security, development, peace and stability.
Our message is clear.
There's no resiliency without land restoration.
There's no land restoration on a wide scale without financing.
We'd like to reaffirm our commitment to all of our partnerships in order to make sure that our commitments and pledges become concrete investments and those investments into concrete action for the people and generations to come.
Thank you.
I thank the distinguished representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Costa Rica.
You have the floor, sir.
Chair Excellency's distinguished delegations.
Costa Rica would like to express its appreciation to the government of Mongolia for its warm welcome and for its magnificent organization in this Cop 17.
Costa Rica appreciates this dialogue on innovative financing mechanisms.
Our country, the health of the land is not merely a sectorial matter.
So, land supports water resources, the production of food, biodiversity, and the adaptation and resilience to climate change and the well being of our rural communities.
Costa Rica recognized the value of innovation.
For decades, we have used instruments such as the pay for services and environmental matters system.
This recognizes economically the preservation of forests, biodiversity, and water resources.
This has allowed for us to have some 72% coverage of forests of our national territory.
Currently, we are also introducing payment for environmental services for the coastal and marine sector in our society.
This experience shows that incentives that are well designed with strong institutions, financing and monitoring can Alter decisions that are being made on our territory, but it also shows something else.
Financial innovation does not substitute public sector responsibility or international cooperation to restore our land, to prevent degradation, to increase drought resiliency.
We must combine national resources, multilateral funds, development bank support, and private capital.
We must combine these with mechanisms that lower risk and that bring that truly bring financing to our areas, to our territories.
Costa Rica calls upon donor countries to ensure a robust capitalization that is predictable and timely, specifically from the multilateral environmental funds, especially the Green Fund for the global environment.
The Jeff continues to be the primary, center for reaching our commitments under the Rio Conventions that are concrete, scalable, and measurable.
We also require procedures that allow us to be more agile and allow us to create projects that include indicators and allow us to recognize climate vulnerabilities.
Risk classifications such as being a middle or high income country does not merely reflect the real needs for capital in countries that face extreme events.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Madam Representative of Costa Rica.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Philippines.
Excellency distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the Philippines expresses its appreciation to the government and the people of Mongolia and to UN CCD for the warm welcome and for convening this important dialogue.
Healthy and productive land is fundamental to food, water security, and agricultural productivity.
As an archipelogic country exposed to climate extremes, we recognize that land degradation have direct consequences for our farmers and vulnerable communities.
Our experience reinforces the need to shift from reactive drought response towards proactive, integrated and science based resilience.
Proactive response requires sustained investments in sustainable land and water management.
We recognize that land, water, and biodiversity are interconnected.
Hence, investment in healthy land will generate multiple interconnected benefits.
These benefits make land restoration and growth resilience not only as an ecological priority, but truly a sound investment in sustainable development.
The Philippines therefore support financing mechanism on land restoration and other initiative that is inclusive and responsive to national circumstances.
We believe that a transparent system is needed not only to mobilize, but to properly account resources, contribution from public, private, and multilateral institutions, and most importantly, the resource users themselves.
For everyone to contribute, we need to collectively mobilize and properly account.
We support the views expressed by previous delegation and other speakers that collective challenge is not only by mobilizing resources, we must ensure that mobilized resources are dedicated towards ground implementation.
We stand ready to work with all parties and partners towards financing solutions that are practical, inclusive, nationally responsive, and capable of delivering lasting effects on the ground.
Thank you, Mr.
Chairman.
I thank the distinguished Representative of Philippines and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Czech Republic.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates.
Let me begin by thanking Mongolia for hosting Cp 17 and for your warm hospitality.
Land degradation and drought are no longer challenges faced by only by traditional dry regions.
Even nowadays, Europe has learned that healthy soils and water security cannot be taken for granted.
In the Czech Republic, we have therefore moved from responding to individual drought pass towards strengthening and long term resilience of our soils, landscape, and water systems.
Our experience has taught us that funding alone does not automatically produce effective and sustainable projects.
When available finance does not deliver sufficient results, the answer is not necessarily to add more money.
We must also prepared to examine and reform the conditions under which it is delivered.
This brings us to the essential question.
If healthy land is essential for food and water security, climate resilience, and economic stability, what is so difficult to turn available finance into effective and lasting restoration? The financing gap is not caused only by a shortage of capital.
The costs are often borne by landover, farmer, and municipality, while the benefits are shared across society and generations.
Many benefits have no direct market price and emerge gradually while the cost must be paid today.
Projects are also frequently small and fragmented.
The preparation requires coordination among overs and public authorities while transaction and monitoring costs can be disproportionally high.
Public finance will remain indispensable where the restoration generates genuine public goods, but innovative finance is not simply about adding more money or creating complex financial products.
It means using available resources more effectively, improving project preparation, coordinating smaller intervention, and aligning public support, regulation, and private incentives.
Support must deliver genuine additional value and avoid windfall gains and speculative behavior.
I would therefore suggest three questions.
First, how can we create effective incentives while ensuring genuine additional results? Second, how can we turn small locally project into investable programs? And third, how can we measure not only finance mobilized, but the lasting resilience it creates.
Our task is not merely to mobilize more money, it is to use available resources better, remove obstacles, and ensure measurable and lasting public value.
Only then can land restoration become a normal investment in our shared security and prosperity.
Thank you for your attention.
I thank the distinguished representative of Czech Republic for his statement.
Now, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Indonesia.
You have the floor.
Excellencies and distinguished delegates, it is a great honor for Indonesia to join discussion on innovative financing mechanism.
I extend our sincere appreciation to the UN CCD Secretariat and the government of Mongolia for inviting us.
Based on Indonesia experiences, we are in the view that land restoration is not a cost.
It is an investment for water security, food security, livelihoods, climate resilience, and communities.
In a decade, from 2015 until 2025, Indonesia has reduced forests and land firees by 86%.
Indonesia has rehabilitated 2.3 million hectares until 2025.
We also commit in restoring in total around 12.3 million hectares through inclusive partnership, which requires massive resources, estimates $42 billion for reaching our restoration targets.
We realized that we need innovative financing mechanism involving public budgets, international financing, result based payments, private contribution, and philanthropy to support government budget.
Therefore, under the leadership of President Provo Subianto, Indonesia has taken concrete action to advance carbon economic value framework, Residential regulation number 110 of 2025 on carbon economic value, and ministerial regulation number six of 2096 on forest carbon trade, provide inclusive participation, including local communities and private sector.
Indonesia also established the Environmental Fund agency to pool domestic and international resources for national environmental priorities.
As home to approximately 23% of the world's Burus ecosystems.
At this respectfully meeting, Indonesia invites all of you to join the World Manga Center, a collaborative global platform that connects governments, scientists, local communities, international organization, civil society, and private sector.
Excellency' distinguous delegates, building on this innovative financing experience, Indonesia believes that similar approaches and strong governance can support UN CCD member countries agenda.
Indonesia remains committed to working together in concrete action to deliver tangible and lasting benefits for land degradation neutrality.
I thank you.
I thank the distinguished representative of the Republic of Indonesia.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ireland.
These distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to be here at the high level ministerial dialogue on innovative financial mechanisms for healthy land and drought resilience.
At the last few years have shown, particularly the intense heat waves we are experiencing across Europe this summer, drought and land degregation are having a serious impact on our economies.
In the EU alone, as a result of the recent extreme weather, we could see approximately 180 billion wiped off the EU GDP.
In relative terms, the impact will be even harsher for developing countries.
There is an urgent need to be better prepared for the extreme weather and rising temperatures happening right now and in the immediate future.
In short, we need to adapt and we need to build resilience.
Finance is an essential enabler for developing countries to build resilience and enhanced capacity to adapt to climate impacts.
Let developed countries, small island developing states and countries affected by conflict are particularly in need of adaption finance.
Despite this, it is estimated that only 25% of global climate finance currently funds adaption and of this 25%, only a very small portion goes towards least developed countries and small island developing states.
This needs to change delegates.
Over the past decade, Ireland has steadily increased its annual contribution to international climate finance.
Approximately 80% of this is spent on adaption, relative related activities.
Ireland's bilateral climate finance is 100% grant based and explicitly targets the needs of those least responsible for causing climate change and yet most vulnerable to its impacts.
Ireland's international climate finance roadmap maintains a focus on climate adaption and resilience in some of the most climate vulnerable countries around the world, in particular in least developed countries and small island developing states.
Ireland's contribution to international climate finance grew steadily 2021-2023, reaching 159 million and according to estimates, not yet officially released Ireland will meet its target of 225 million, which was set in 2025, which is a doubling of our contribution since 2020.
Ireland is a founding member of the Champions Group of Adoption Finance, which advocates for increasing and improving the scale and quality and accessibility of adaption finance, which is important for preparing for in responding to rapid onset of natural disasters and slow onset climate impacts.
Innovative finance is vital.
To close the annual 355 billion gap needed 25-30 to meet global land restoration, desertification and drought targets.
Traditional public funds are not enough, so new funding models must unlock private and blended capital.
Innovative finance is key to achieving our land restoration targets, and I look forward to further discussions on these events during the course of finance today.
Thank you.
I thank the distinguished Representative of Ireland and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Lao People's Democratic Republic.
You have the floor.
Excellencys distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, the Lao people Democratic Republic ally itself with the core vision of the 17th Conference of the Parties, restoring land, restoring hope.
We extend our profile appreciation to the Secretariat of UNCCD and the government of Mongolia for placing finance at the heart of our collective agenda to restore land and the promise of our collective endeavor.
We recognize the scales of the challenge before us.
To restoring degraded land at the scale the world needs, we required close to $1 billion every day.
Yet current financing falls far short of this target, while our PDI is not an arid country, our mountainous forest dependent landscapes face severe threats.
Our fragile upland ecosystems and with soils are on the front lines of degradation.
Our commitments to land restoration and resilience are ambitious, and our physical space and access to long term finance remain limited.
With the support of our development partners, we are translating international support into action.
We are strengthening natural resources management, protecting biodiversity, and building resilience in our agro ecoology systems.
These efforts show what well targeted finance can achieve.
However, to reach our land degradation neutrality targets, LPDR requires financing that is more accessible and better suited to the realities.
In this regard, we wish to put forward the following considerations.
First, we urge simplified and more predictable access to financing instruments, particularly for developing country, landlocked countries like us with limited institutional capacity.
Second, we call for scale up investment in blended finance to direct private sector engagement.
Third, we encourage greater support for South South and regional cooperation to share technical expertise with neighboring partners.
Fourth, we asked for development partners and global mechanism to continue strengthening capacity building, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
La PDR remains firmly committed to Rjat OLA Battle action agenda and to doing our part to close the finance gap Distinguished representative of Lao People's Democratic Republic, thank you for your statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Timor-Leste.
You have the floor.
Mr.
President, Excellency, all the delegation.
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste express our dependent gratitude to the government and the people of Mongolia for the hospitality and the extensional delicacy in hosting this critical summit.
We ask that deliberate on the resource mobilization and the committee of the two.
We must confront the reality land restoration cannot serve other fragment project grant.
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The more or less has will the I thank the distinguished representative of Tor less than and give the floor to the distinguished representative of Turkia.
You have the floor, Madam Mr.
Moderater, distinguished colleagues, esteemed representatives of countries, I extend my warmest greetings to you on behalf of my country and the CP 31 presidency.
I would like to begin my remarks by expressing my gratitude to the people and government of Mongolia for hosting this important conference of the parties.
As we emphasized in Riyadh two years ago, desertification, land degradation, and drought caused billions of dollars in losses to the global economy every year.
The decline in agricultural productivity and the weakening of ecosystem services demonstrate a clear reality.
Investing in land means investing in the future.
Every resource allocated to land restoration represents a multidimensional gain that strengthens economic resilience and the well being of communities.
We believe that strengthening land restoration In drought resilience, it requires multilateral development banks, international financial institutions and private sector investments, not only public resources.
In this regard, we must make existing financing mechanisms more accessible, more effective, and more results oriented.
As Turkey, through our climate law, which has entered into force, we are strengthening the management of carbon sinks.
Through our certification efforts for the voluntary carbon market and our green licensing system.
We are ensuring that these areas are monitored in accordance with international standards.
These national steps also contribute to achieving the common objectives of the Rio conventions.
As the presidency of UNFCCC Cp 31, Turkey will continue to make the nexus between land, climate, and development policies more visible and CP 17 will make an important contribution to Cop 31, which will take place in Antalia 9-22 of November and we will continue our contributions in this regard.
Thank you very much.
The distinguished representative of Turkey for this statement.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burundi.
Thank you.
On behalf of the government and people of Burundi, I wish to express thanks to Mongolia and to the Secretariat of the convention for the organization of this session here in On Batu.
Burundi participates in this COP and on this finance day on mobilizing finance for land restoration.
We we confirm our commitment to combating desertification.
To stopping land degradation, and to addressing climate issues.
We seek to restore degraded lands and to address environmental issues, to combat soil erosion, promote sustainable agriculture, develop agroforestry, and protect water resources, strengthen resilience of rural communities to drought and other climate risks, promote the sustainable management of land and natural resources, improve natural land degradation, and LDN monitoring systems.
We recognize that some $355 billion per year will be needed 2025-2030 to meet global land restoration targets and address the challenges of land degradation, desertification, and drought while current investment is woefully insufficient.
For a country like Burundi, It is essential to call on the international community to strengthen financial support and five priorities.
First, increase concessional financing and grants to vulnerable countries to enable the implementation of large scale national land restoration programs.
Second, strengthen direct access to international financial mechanisms, including the F, the Green Climate Fund, the adaptation of Fund, and other relevant mechanisms.
For financing sustainable development.
Third, further engage the private sector.
Brundi wants to develop mechanisms to transform investment in land restoration.
We call on international financial institutions, multinational development banks, climate and environmental funds, institutional investors in the private sector.
Thank you, Burundi, for the statement.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Cambodia.
Your Excellency, co presidents, distinguished delegate.
On behalf of Cambodia delegation, we would like to extend our profound gratitude to the government and the people of Mongolia for the outstanding organizations of the COP 17 and also gracious hospitality.
Cambodia is increasingly vulnerable to the severe impact of drought.
Flooding and land degradation, and these climate shocks directly threatened our small hole farmers and more vulnerable communities.
Consequently, addressing this crisis is a top national priority.
Caboia reaffirmed its absolute commitment to achieve voluntary land degradation neutrality as the cornerstone of sustainable development goal.
We also commit to climate mitigation and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
To turn this commitment into action, Cambodia has adopted the National Action Program to combat land degradation 2018, 2027, focused on increasing forest cover, improving agricultural conservation and sustainable agriculture, and water seet management.
Also, the National action plan on drought management and adaptation has been adopted.
This plan outlined in early learning system, as well as drought adaptation and response action, designing to enhance national drought resilience.
Furthermore, Cambodia have expand its protected area to cover approximately 40% of our national territory, safeguarding critical watershed.
We are actively scaling up community based forestry and community fishery, which grant local community the right to access land and resources.
In addition, the Ryan government of Cambodia has launched a major initiative to deploy dedicated commune agricultural official nationwide delivering the rich underground technical support to our farmer.
However, to fully implement this policy, strategy, and plan, we must overcome significant capacity and resource constraint.
G call for enhanced capacity building, accelerating technology transfer, and robust bilateral and multilateral cooperation among all party NEO convention in order to addressing land degradation and drought.
Finally, we require adequate critical and sustainable financing to support the implementation of land restoration and drought resilience for the benefit of smallholder farmer and local community.
Thank you.
Thank you, Cambodia, for the statement.
Distinguished representative of Kazakhstan, you have the floor.
Thank you, Distinguished delegates on behalf of Kazakhstan, we wish to express thanks to the government of Mongolia and the Secretary of the Convention against the certification for organizing this 17th Cop.
For Kazakhstan, this topic is of particular importance.
We have 290 million hectas of agricultural land.
We are consistently implementing a national policy.
This year, we have adopted the first law on soil protection since independence.
This seeks to restore damaged soils and implement scientific approaches to sustainable use.
We have systematic work underway to restore land In the past years, some 50 million hectas have returned to estate ownership and turned over to land users.
There is regional cooperation with the stage of the international expedition on the Great Silk Road expedition to Onbata throughout the south of our country, which allowed us to show our approach to sustainable pasture land use and development of rural lands.
In April this year, we held a regional environmental summit bringing together state, international academic and other delegates.
Working together on protecting land, adapting to climate change and sustainable development of agriculture, creating international organization initiated by our president.
As a result, we adopted the resolution on green protection of Central Asia to join forces in the region to restore damaged land and create a system of green barriers.
We call on neighboring countries, financial institutions, and international organizations to join forces to implement projects under the Green Protection of Central Asia Project as one of the regional measures to implement our convention.
We are working on studies, bringing together data using current technologies and call for forces to be joined.
Thank you.
I thank Kazakhstan for the statement.
I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Dominican Republic to be followed by Belarus.
Distinguished Executive Secretary, state representatives, ladies and gentlemen, my country warmly thanks the government of Mongolia for its hospitality.
This dialogue allows us to address one of the main challenges to advancing resilience for our lands, how to close the investment gaps that limit our ability to strengthen resilience to drought and promote healthy lands.
The figures allow us to measure the challenge.
It is estimated that approximately $355 billion will be needed until 2030 annually.
Current investments stand at around 77 billion.
This is a gap of approximately 278 billion a year.
Such a deficit can hardly be closed by resorting only to traditional sources.
We must mobilize resources from various sources and at the same time find mechanisms seeking not only direct resources, but as instruments to reduce risks and mobilize additional capital.
Guarantees, insurance, and blended finance can help us to multiply the impact of available resources and expand the scale of investments.
However, for capital to go where it's most needed, we must also strengthen the conditions that allow national priorities to become investment opportunities, technical assistance, capacity building.
Information and the development of investment ready projects are all elements that can make a significant difference.
For Dominican Republic as a small island developing state, it is crucial that innovative financial mechanisms take into account the circumstances and capacity of developing countries and facilitate adequate access to resources.
At the same time, there is an economic opportunity that deserves greater recognition.
Estimates indicate that each dollar invested in land restoration can generate up to $8 in return.
This reminds us that we're talking about much more than environmental need.
We're talking about protecting productivity, food security, water resources, livelihoods, and environmental stability.
The magnitude of the gap forces us to be ambitious, but it also requires us to be strategic.
We believe that the way forward is to make each public resource mobilize more investments so that each investment generates greater resilience, and this resilience is recognized as an integral part of economic development.
This dialogue is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships between governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and international cooperation and move forward towards solutions that can be replicable, scalable, accessible to the countries that need them most.
Thank you.
Thank you, Dominican Republic, for the statement.
I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Belarus to be followed by Ecuador.
Belarus, you have the floor.
Distinguished presidency, distinguished participants.
I wish on behalf of Belarus, to thank the leadership of Mongolia and the Secretariat for this excellent organization and for the warm hospitality.
Global environmental issues such as the loss of biodiversity, climate change, land degradation are some of the most pressing issues and require rapid solutions.
Belarus has been consistently implementing its international obligations under the certification convention.
November 2025, we adopted the National plan of action to prevent land degradation.
Developed to implement the Convention.
There have been practical measures to prevent degradation and restore degraded land, which should make it possible to ensure national land security.
To improve the effectiveness of the use of water resources for environmental growth, government has adopted a national strategy for water resource management in the context of climate change to 2030.
Our strategy will strengthen Belarus' resilience to drought and degradation using tested methods and practices for joint use by other countries which will help to further the goals of the convention.
Belarus plans to join forces with other countries to ensure global progress on protecting the environment.
We are open to mutually respectful and beneficial cooperation in recent years, there have been trends to politicization by certain countries of the environmental agenda.
An example is within this conference, determination by the presidency of the Annex five a Representative, Belarus candidacy was blocked for political reasons, which is a clear demonstration of the use of the environmental agenda for pressure.
The same is true in other key environmental initiatives within Europe.
However, within our country, we have Unique natural resources which must be protected.
Marshlands.
We must rehabilitate lands, and we are committed to liquidating the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.
This requires support from the international financial institutions that will be positive not only for Belarus, but also for neighboring countries.
We hope for further impartial constructive interaction within the context of this convention.
Thank you.
I thank Belarus for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Ecuador to be followed by Burkina Faso.
Ecuador, you have the floor.
Your Excellency, Chair Ministers, authorities, and delegates.
Ecuador is located in the middle of the world.
We have Andean systems Amazonian systems and also the Galapagos Islands.
We wish to express our deep gratitude to the government and to the people of Mongolia for the generous hospitality under its eternal blue skies.
Today we are met here in UB facing a challenge that goes beyond any border.
The health of our lands, land degradation and drought don't recognize geographical borders or ideologies.
These are systemic threats that imperil food security, peace, and sustainability of life on our planet.
Land is now restored with declarations of good intentions.
We need political will, multilateral solidarity and truly effective resources on the ground.
For Ecuador, tackling desertification, land degradation, and drought requires a quantum step forward.
We must move from commitments on paper to concrete results on the ground.
However, this transformation will not be viable without implementation means backed by sufficient financial resources that are also timely, predictable and increasing.
We recognize the importance of exploring innovative financial financing mechanisms and the mobilization of capital in the private sector to close the gaps on financing.
We're we are categorical.
Innovation must add and multiply resources, not replace them.
Mixed financing must be complementary.
It should never become a prior requirement, a precondition, or a barrier to international funds.
We recognize that non reimbursable concessional financing should continue to be the central pillar of the convention.
Donations are irreplaceable in strengthening local capacity, restoring degraded land, and responding to droughts without increasing debt of our countries.
This position is fully in step with Article 20.
0.2 A of the Convention.
It enshrines the commitment of developed countries to mobilize substantial resources to back our efforts.
Also, we must recognize that comes at different capacities when it comes to complex instruments.
We call for flexible criteria that are equitable and simplified in their access.
Ecuador calls for an international financing architecture that is more ambitious, balanced and pragmatic architecture, should preserve the non reimbursable financing as a crucial tool.
It must promote innovation without diluting historic commitments.
It must transform neutrality goals into well being for our communities and ecosystems.
No country can save the planet on its own resilience.
This interpreter would note that the sound was cut.
Thank you, Ecuador, for the statement.
Now, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Burkina Faso to be followed by Iraq.
Burkina Faso, you have the floor.
Excellence.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Burkina Faso should like to thank the Republican of Mongolia secretary of the convention for hosting this Cp 17 and we fully associate ourselves with the call for an increased commitment of the international community to financing the restoration of land and drought resilience.
For Burkina Faso, and restoration is restoring economies, protecting substance and strengthening the resilience of people.
We must today change our paradigm.
We must go from ad hoc financing to transformational financing that has a strong impact the mobilization of resources and investments and addressing risk with the private financing as well as much addressed.
Burkina Fosa has put into place the fund for action in the environment with a special window for land restoration.
Also, Given the need to promote financing, local financing, we call upon the international community to address four major commitments.
First, increase concessional financing, donations, and predictability for the most vulnerable countries.
To, to strengthen mixed financing and guarantees and risk mechanisms in order to better mobilize the private sector.
And third, land restoration and making this full of a true step forward, strengthening our territorial work.
Concrete action, Madam Chair Africa is not asking for merely more financing.
We are calling for a financial architecture that is integrating, accessible, predictable, and adaptable and adapted to the reality.
Burkina fully supports the African groups efforts to gain access to financing and to increase the participation of international African institutions.
Here in UB, we should focus on five keys, mobilization, addressing risk investing, transforming and measuring.
Our message is simple.
And restoration, investing in the economies and jobs and resilience that this restoration will allow us to build.
I thank you, Ke.
I thank Burkina Faso for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Iraq to be followed by Thailand.
Iraq, you have the floor.
Mr.
President, Your Excellency is distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we extend our thanks to Mongolian government and people for the warm hospitality and for hosting and organizing the 17th session of the conference of the parties to the United Nations Convention to combat desertification.
We also thanks the UN CCD Secretarat for its efforts in making this conferences classful.
It's my pleasure to participate today representing the Republic of Iraq, the land of Mesoptimia and the cradle of civilization, where some of the oldest civilization arose on the banks of the rivers, Tigris and Euphrates.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, investment in land restoration, represent an investment in the future of people, given its fundamental role in strengthening food security, water security, and sustainable development.
This is of particular importance to Iraq in light of the environment and the climate challenges it faces.
Iraq views financing for land restoration as a particular tool to strengthen resilience to drought, reduce land degradation, and improve the management of natural resources with positive impact on the environment and local communities.
Iraq emphasized that the successful implementation of the United Nations Convention to combat desertification required the provision of safe sustainable financing alongside technology transfer, capacity building, and the exchange of expertities, enabling countries to implement their national programs in accordance with priorities and needs.
Iraq also continues to implement its national commitment by strengthening sustainable and land management preparing national reports and developing monitoring system and database.
Based on this conviction that effective decision are grounded in knowledge and scientific data.
Iraq believes that strengthening partnership among governments, international organization, financial institution, and the private sector represents an essential step toward accelerating the implementation of land restoration projects and achieving sustainable results that benefit both people and the environment.
Thank you.
I thank Iraq for the statement.
Now, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Kingdom of Thailand to be followed by Zambia.
Thailand, you have the floor.
Mr.
President Excellency, distinguished, on behalf of the Kingdom of Thailand, I wish to congratulate Mongolia on assuming the Crop 17 presidency and thank the host for the warm hospitality in Wombat.
Excellency, Thailand reaffirmed its strong commitment to advancing and degradation, neutrality, through the avoid reduce reuse framework.
Thailand is committed in developing standardized database to support effective decision making while promoting inclusive participation of all stakeholders, particularly civil society, youth, women, and vulnerable groups.
Thailand also promotes stronger land management standards, equitable assets to finance, and restoration of degraded land and ranch land while addressing doubt risk to partnership and ESD aligned value chain for tangible and sustainable outcome, leaving no one behind.
Thailand stands ready to support the development of conventions pro 2030 strategic framework, proactive doubt management, and strong synergy among the three or convention.
We emphasize common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities, adequate financing, technology transfer and capacity building tailored to developing country needs.
As essential means to translate commitment into concrete and sustainable action.
Thailand is deeply honored to have initiated the United Nations Decade on Soil Health 2031 to 2040 in close cooperation with the Globan Soil Partnership, building on the success of soil Day.
We would like to invite all parties to support the global agenda, elevate soil health as a key priority for sustainable development, fostering a more secure and resilient future.
Thailand stand ready to partner globally in passing on fertile, resilient, sustainable land to future generation.
Thank you.
I thank you, Thailand, for the statement.
Now, I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Zambia to be followed by Australia.
Zambia, you have the floor.
Mr.
Moderator, distinguished Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the government of Zambia, I'm honored to render our appreciation to the government of Mongolia for the warm hospitalities they have shown to our delegation since we arrived here.
Zambia is progressively repositioning land, nature, and climate at the center of economic and financial decision making and policy reforms.
Working with financial sector regulators, the private sector and development partners, we are building a sustainable financial architecture capable of mobilizing public and private capital for land restoration, drought resilience, and nature positive development.
We are increasingly recognizing that nature nature loss, land degradation, and climate change are not only environmental concerns, they are economic and financial risks.
In 2024, we completed our first nature related financial risks study covering banking, insurance, patients, and capital market sectors.
We are further gone ahead to strengthen transparency and accountability.
In this regard, Zambia has adopted international sustainability reporting standards for public accountable entities, helping to build the capacity of businesses and financial institutions to better understand and disclose their impacts and dependencies on nature.
We are creating a clear framework for sustainable investment.
In December 2025, we launched the first green finance taxonomy, providing a nationally agreed upon framework for identifying environmentally sustainable economic sectors across key sectors including agriculture, forestry, mining, tourism, and water.
Back in 2024, we issued our first green bond worth $150 million targeting renewable energy, particularly the solar energy sector.
We are here to ask for more financing.
Yes, we have achieved something, but we cannot do it alone.
Our ask at this session is for predictable, sustainable financing so that we can be able to do these activities at scale.
I submit I thank Zambia for this statement.
Now, I pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Australia to be followed by the Republic of Korea.
Australia, you have the floor.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates, I welcome this opportunity to provide this statement on behalf of Australia and let me reiterate our thanks to the government of Mongolia for its tireless efforts to host a successful cop.
Developing both a sustainable agriculture sector and resilience to drought have long been key priorities for Australia.
Our climate smart and sustainable agriculture sector can improve productivity and profitability, protect our environment, strengthen rural communities, and contribute to global food security.
A key part of this effort for us is the Natural Heritage Trust, an Australian government platform that for over 30 years has delivered on the ground actions that promote natural resource management, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection.
This trust supports farmers and communities to innovate, build knowledge, and adopt practices that protect natural capital, conserve biodiversity, and improve long term sustainability.
Australia's drought policy focuses on preparedness, risk management, and financial self reliance, while ensuring an appropriate safety net is in place for those who are experiencing hardship.
Providing certainty for farmers and regional communities to actively build resilience is essential to achieving these objectives.
To support this, Australia invests before drought actually occurs.
In 2019, the Australian government established the future drought Fund with an initial investment of 3.9 billion Australian dollars.
Through the reinvestment of earnings, the fund has now reached $5 billion.
Each year, the fund supports grants and programs that strengthen drought and climate resilience.
These initiatives help farmers improve their business planning, support communities to build lasting social connections that strengthen cohesion during difficult times and invest in projects that address complex and long term challenges.
But programs under the future drought Fund often have co investment requirements.
This maximizes the impact of government funds and ensures delivery partners are committed and see strong potential in the project.
In responding to drought, Australia maintains a strong focus on investments that support future productivity.
We do not provide payments to farmers to maintain production such as subsidies for fodder or water, nor do we compensate farmers for production losses.
Reviews of Australia's drought program have consistently shown us that such measures can disincentivize farm businesses to adapt to prolonged dry conditions and changing circumstances.
Public finance alone cannot meet the scale of investment needed to protect and restore nature.
So we support mobilizing finance from all sources, including public, private, bilateral, multilateral, and blended finance.
We also recognize the important role of businesses and financial institutions.
Our approach to drought and sustainable land management reflect our experience and context, and at this call, we welcome the opportunity to learn from others, share experiences, and contribute to global action.
Thank you.
I thank Australia for the statement.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Republic of Korea.
You have the floor.
Thank you, Chair.
Your Excellency distinguished delegate, ladies and gentlemen.
It's a great pleasure to meet you here in Umbata.
First of all, I would like to extend our warmly thanks to the government for hosting this call and to the people of Mongolia for their generous hospitality.
It is such an honor for me to have the opportunity to speak to you today about innovative financial mechanism for health and drought resilience.
Today, the entire world faces serious threats to our survival due to climate change, desertification, and intensifying drought.
Land degradation is no longer merely an environmental issue.
It is a complex multidimensional crisis that is directed to put insecurity, water sector Scarcity and the impoverishment of local communities.
Just half a century ago, the Republic of Korea paced the landscape completely devastated by war.
However, through the per unity of our government and entire people, we succeeded in restoring our policy in a short period.
This profound experience and commitment to our nation have naturally extended to the international community.
At the tenth conference of the parties to the USSD hosted by the Republic of Korea in 2011, our nation launched the Taiwan Initiative, which has served as I said best driving force over the past 15 years in setting and practically preventing land degradation ner targets globally.
In particular, the Green Dry land Partnership Pro initiated on the Chaiwan initiative has successfully supported random police restoration, improved local livelihoods and strengthened the capacity across 19 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and small Island developing states.
Furthermore includes cooperation with the UNCD and UNDP.
We have expanded the scale and reach of our initiative by establishing a partnership between the Green Island partnership and the global environment to facilities small grant program.
Financial investing in land restoration and drought resilience is another mere expenditure, whether it is the most definitive investment that grows ecological and economic value.
Looking at the Korea P Service will further advance the Taiwan initiative to strengthen its role as characteristic financial paving the way for private capital and global investments.
This things Koreas there can be no stand picture without healthy land.
Thank you.
I thank the Republic of Korea for the statement.
Now I give the floor to the distinguished representative of Nepal to be followed by Sudan.
Nepal, you have the floor.
Respected Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of government and people of Nepal, I sincerely thank the government and people of Mongolia for hosting COP 17 and for their warm hospitality.
We also appreciate the UN CCD Secretariat for its continued leadership in addressing land degradation, desertification, drought, and sustainable land management.
The ate here, Nepal remains firmly committed to achieving land net neutrality by 2030.
Our UN CCD NS action program provides an important foundation for addressing land degradation while LD and priorities are increasingly integrated into national development planning.
Our three tiers of government, federal, provincial and local are working together to advance land conservation, restoration, and sustainable development.
Neal national initiative is being implemented to restore vulnerable landscapes of yvalic region and similar other areas.
Nepal believes in strength of communities and follows participatory restoration practices.
This has been demonstrated through forest cover and land restoration through forest approach.
These approaches have generated important gains in biodibetic conservation, climate change mitigation, and livelihood improvement of the people.
In spite of these achievements of Nepal's achievements, Nepal fragile and steep mountain landscapes are facing climate change induced non traditional drivers of land degradation.
These are changing rainfall patterns, flash flood, soil erosion, landslide and drought, forest fire.
These are rapidly undermining our restoration gains.
Management of these non traditional drivers and cap land degradation is beyond technical and financial capacity of our people and available financing resources of the government.
Land degradation in Himalayan and mountain region that affects ecosystem biodiversity and livelihood services is so critical and impact will be used and widesy.
In this ground, we need deeper and wider partnership, technical collaboration, and innovative financing mechanism, and involvement of private sector.
The services of Himalayas and mountains not only limited to us in this regard, we need simplified access to finance, history of land regres and fight against non traditional divers and subsequent land regtion together.
Distinguished delegates, we need stronger evidences, appropriate and affordable technologies and partnership connecting governments, communities, indigenous people, youth, women scientists, development partners, and private sector.
Most importantly, finance and technology must reach the ground where communities are restoring landscapes and sustaining livelihoods.
I thank you.
Thank you, Nepal, for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Sudan to be followed by Algeia.
Sudan, you have the floor.
Muhammad.
Mr.
President.
Ladies and gentlemen, peace be upon you.
At the outset, on behalf of the government of the Republic of Sudan, to express my thanks and gratitude to the government and the people of Mongolia for their hospitality and warm welcome and for the excellent organization of this important conference.
Olam Batars hosting of this conference retreates Mongolia's commitment to supporting global environmental issues and its work with the international community to address the challenges of doubt the certification.
We appreciate the Secretariat of the convention and all the organizers for their efforts to ensure the success of this conference.
This conference comes at a critical juncture for Sudan where the challenges of land degradation, decertification, climate change intersect with displacement and loss of livelihoods.
Resident decertification and droughts are not something under periphery in my country, but rather they are pillars for social peace.
We have a large area that is prone to drought that produces more than 90% of crops, and two thirds of the area of our country in the north suffer from degradation and recurrent drought has turned land as a landscape for competitiveness and disputes.
And this has affected the food security as well as water security, animal agriculture production.
Mr.
President, Sudan retreates its full commitment to the United Nations Convention to combat decertification, implementing its goals and principles, and also achieving sustainable management of land, addressing, droughts and desertification.
Reiterate that combating decertification and land degradation is not an option, but rather a national priority and a necessity for achieving food and water security, promoting livelihoods and promoting the capacity of local communities to be resilient to droughts.
We reiterate that our fulfillment of our commitment requires the provision of the means of implementation, including capacity building and financial support.
Therefore, we appeal to the financial mechanisms and partners to promote support to countries affected by desertification and drought, in particular, African countries that are prone to these phenomena.
There is a need also to access predictable financing and that this financing should be simplified, especially for countries that are affected by conflicts.
Thank you, Sudan for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Algeia to be followed by Toco.
Algeria, you have the floor.
Rahim Sidra Hamsa.
In the name of God, the merciful, we wish to express thanks to the government and people of Mongolia for their warm welcome and generous hospitality.
Algeriia attaches particular importance to land restoration and to drought resilience, the cornerstone of an effective response.
To the interrelated challenges of desertification, land degradation, water scarcity.
Financing to combat desertification should not be treated as a marginal issue, but rather as priority in light of the global financing gap estimated $278 billion annually.
We reiterate the need for wealthy countries to meet their commitments by providing subsidies and concessional loans to The most vulnerable developing countries, particularly in Africa to help them reclaim their lands and strengthen their drought resilience.
There is also a need to streamline access mechanisms to the various sources of finance available.
In the same vein, we are fully aware that bridging the existing financing gap cannot be achieved by traditional means alone.
It requires a rethinking.
It requires new and innovative financing instruments.
Algeia calls for the promotion of the integration of land and drought resilience issues into the portfolios of multilateral development banks, the promotion of public private partnerships, The activation of carbon compensation mechanisms through afforestation without prejudice to Article 6 of the Convention.
Ladies and gentlemen, convinced that proactive financing is far more cost effective than inaction.
Algeria has invested in land and water resources and made this a firm national priority.
The Green Dam Project, which was re established by the president of the Republic, on an area of over 4.7 million hectas embodies a model for mobilizing financial resources in favor of land reclamation and combating desertification.
This project has environmental, economic and social dimensions.
Thank you.
Thank you, Algeria for the statement.
I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Togo to be followed by Israel.
Togo, you have the floor.
Distinguished ministers participants.
On behalf of the Environment Minister of Togo, I would like to express gratitude to Mongolia for its hospitality and welcome the initiative of this ministerial dialogue on innovative financial mechanisms for healthy land and increased drought resilience.
Land degradation, desertification drought are no longer merely environmental issues.
They directly threaten our food security, water resources, and societal stability.
For Togo land is not a cost to be financed, but a natural capital to be preserved and valued.
The question is no longer how much the restoration costs will be, but how much will inaction cost.
Since 2021, Togo, under the impetus of His Excellency, Mr.
De Massing Ber president of the Council has chosen to take action, namely planting 1 billion trees and achieving 26% forest cover by 2030 restoring.
1.4 million hectares of degraded landscapes and achieving land degradation neutrality targets.
As a result 2021-2025, our national campaign has restored over 1 million hectas of degraded ecosystems through reforestation.
However, The global financial challenge is immense.
To achieve our objectives, $355 billion per year are needed and only 77 billion are invested.
This deficit of $278 billion should be a cause for concern, especially since every dollar invested can yield eight.
To bridge this gap, we need to change the paradigm.
Land restoration is a productive economic investment.
Togo proposes to mobilize four levers.
First, optimize public finance to attract private capital through blended financing guarantees.
Two, engage the private sector by developing profitable green value chains.
Three, deploy innovative instruments such as green bonds and payment for ecosystem services.
Four, facilitate access to climate funds while simplifying their procedures.
Moreover, what cannot be measured cannot be financed.
We need to invest in digital technologies, remote sensing and satellite data to secure performance based financing.
On behalf of the Ministry of Environment of Togo, I make this appeal.
Let us invest in the Earth before its degradation becomes unbearable.
Let us make land resilience, an engine of growth and stability for our planet.
I thank you.
Thank you, Togo, for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Israel to be followed by Guatemala.
Israel, you have the floor.
Thank you, Chair, Distinguished delegates.
I would like to express our profound gratitude to the government of Mongolia and the UN CCD Secretariat for the exceptional hospitality and leadership in hosting this critical forum.
For a long time, we've treated this certification only as an environment issue, but more we look at it, it's clear it becomes in many ways a financing issue.
The technology largely exists, precision irrigation, biological soil solutions, water reuse, drought resilience seeds.
What is missing is the capital willing to take the first risk.
That is where Israel has built a distinctive model focused on public risk management.
Excuse me.
The Israeli Innovation Authority startup Fund is a non dilutive grant mechanism that walks alongside a company from its earliest idea through pre seed seed and into the first investment level.
It is in the earliest stages, public funding covers up to 80% of the project budget.
As the technology matures and investors gain confidence goes up roughly to 30%.
By then, the private market has enough evidence to take over.
Alongside that capital, we have physical testing ground, the Negative desert.
Israel innovation hubs incubate early stage tech startups working on water, agriculture, and climate resilience under real conditions before anyone asked to invest serious money.
The next layer is blended finance, combining public funds, aid, and private investments to carry technologies through the stretch that pure private capital finds it too risky to invest and public capital cannot fund forever.
By the time a solution is ready for full deployment, conventional capital can take it to the rest of the way.
This model travels through Israel Desert tech hub and direct partnership with the UNCCT global mechanism.
This model has been applied in Africa, Great Green Wall.
Innovation leaders identify the most burning challenges, test solutions, and walk away with concrete fundamental pilot proposal.
We are seeking to export this model to new partners, including South America, where we work with innovation leaders in the Desert of Atkama.
Israel stands ready and eager to collaborate with international partners around the world to adapt and to implement this unique financing model, turning shared environmental challenges into scalable global solutions.
Thank you.
I thank Israel for the statement and now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guatemala to be followed by Mexico.
Guatemala, you have the floor.
President Excellen's Distinguished delegates, Guatemala wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the government and people of Mongolia for their warm hospitality and for hosting us.
Investing in sustainable land management and drought resilience is an investment in climate adaptation, economic resilience, and sustainable development.
For highly vulnerable countries like Guatemala, drought, land degradation, and climate change are not separate challenges.
They converge in the same territories and affect the same people through water insecurity, declining agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and increasing pressures on livelihoods.
Therefore, investing in land means investing in concrete solutions, restoring degraded soils and ecosystems, improving sustainable land and water management, in drought preparedness and protecting the livelihoods that depend on these natural resources.
Our financial architecture must therefore make a fundamental shift from paying for the consequences of crisis to investing in resilience before those crises occur.
This requires predictable and accessible resources for sustainable land management, soil restoration, water security, drought preparedness and ecosystem based adaptation and climate resilient livelihoods.
Innovative mechanisms included blended finance guarantees, Risk sharing instruments and insurance can help mobilize additional resources, but financial innovation must also mean innovation in access.
A mechanism cannot be considered truly innovative if vulnerable countries and local communities cannot effectively access it.
We need simpler and faster procedures, lower transaction costs, stronger natural capacities, and greater direct access to resources.
Vulnerable communities cannot wait years before the financial resources become available.
And access must also be equitable.
If access or ownership to land becomes a prerequisite for finance, the mechanisms designed to build resilience may unintentionally exclude many of the women who are already at the forefront of adapting to drought and land degradation.
Innovative finance must therefore be gender responsive by design, expanding women's access to finance and productive resources.
Innovation should not translate into additional unsustainable debt for countries already facing significant climate and development challenges.
Public grant based and concessional finance remains essential and particularly for adaptation and for mobilizing additional responsible investment.
We must also strengthen synergies across financing for land, climate, biodiversity, and development.
Our communities experience these challenges together.
Our financial architecture should allow us to address them together.
Healthy land is resilience infrastructure.
Investing in today's soils, watersheds, ecosystems, and drought preparedness means strengthening adaptive capacity, protecting livelihoods and reducing the economic and social costs of tomorrow crisis.
Financial innovation must deliver not simply more finance, but better finance, accessible Thank you, Guatemala, for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Mexico to be followed by Oman.
Mexico, you have the floor.
President.
Thank you, President, Distinguished delegates.
In ten years, military spending has increased by 51% to record figures, and official aid development has gone down 23%.
So in terms of land resilience, the existing mechanisms are not an option.
They're an imperative.
Combined financing guarantees instruments to protect and overcome risks.
I want to share some ideas.
One, we must use the existing mechanisms better.
Reducing fragmentation.
It is key for platforms and financial instruments to provide solutions to integrated projects for biodiversity, climate, water, land restoration, and addressing drought.
Two, That's successful experiences are available in various parts of the world.
I want to some of these should be exchanged.
In Mexico and Latin America, we have certain experiences.
Mexico has over two decades of experience working with payment for environmental services, which has covered over 10 million hectares with participation of local communities.
Furthermore, we are carrying out restoration Our National Restoration Program, English.
This has financial mechanisms with a specific investment.
And land restoration with carbon mitigation and equivalent investment, incorporating a gender perspective to achieve 30% restoration by 2030.
The financial mechanisms that contribute to the health of the earth and to land restoration are based on a basic premise.
It is profitable to have a healthy environment.
It is profitable for human beings.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mexico, for the statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Oman, to be followed by Ginla.
Oman, you have the floor.
As Excellencies, President, ladies and gentlemen, At the 17th Cop, distinguished executive secretary delegates, may the peace of God be upon you, on my own behalf and that of my country, I wish to express my thanks to the government and people of Mongolia for their generous hospitality, warm, welcome, and excellent organization of work.
At this 17th Cp.
The Cp is undergoing challenging times seeking to face the growing challenges connected with land degradation and natural resources, drought, climate change, and biodiversity issues which has an impact on food security.
Bringing a significant reduction in harvests.
We see the spread of drought in a number of regions, including the Arab world, and we have a shared responsibility to take effective action to strengthen partnerships and adopt sustainable solutions for ecosystems and broaden nature based solutions to strengthen the resilience of communities.
The outcome of Cp 16 showed that there is an interlinkage between the Rio conventions.
We must strengthen integrated resource management based on nature.
Excellencies, a particular focus has been placed on combating the certification.
We have to find our vision within the Oman 2040 program showing that environmental issues are the subject of our commitment to agreements and treaties.
We are continuing to apply national initiatives to combat desertification and an action plan against land degradation.
We are continuing our efforts for restoration of vegetation cover.
We are here to apply the commitments of the convention and make progress in the implementation of our goals while adopting a shared vision.
Thank you.
I thank Oman for this statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Guinea to be followed by Haiti.
Janea, you have the floor.
President President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Republic of Guinea and on behalf of the Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development, I wish to express deep gratitude to the government and people of Mongolia for their warm hospitality and to the secretary of the Convention for organizing this important conference.
Guinea remains resolutely committed to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030.
This commitment is now benefiting from particularly strong political impetus under the leadership of His Excellency, Mr.
Mamedy Dube, President of the Republic Head of State, who has placed preservation of natural capital and the restoration of land at the heart of Guinea's sustainable transformation.
This ambition is fully in line with the strategic vision of the Seman 2040 agenda which aims to make responsible exploitation of natural resources a lever for economic diversification.
Human capital development and sustainable prosperity, while respecting environmental balance and the interests of future generations.
This political will is translated into concrete actions, faced with the serious damage caused to land, waterways, forest, and the livelihoods of communities.
Though the uncontrolled exploitation of mineral resources, the government has taken resolute action against illegal gold mining, in particular through the closure of artisanal mining sites that do not comply with legal and environmental requirements.
Guinea also bears an environmental responsibility that goes far beyond its borders.
The fut alon Massif from which many major West African rivers originate constitutes a strategic ecological heritage for our bridge and its restoration, the protection of its springs and watersheds, as well as the resilience of the communities that depend upon it must now be considered as a regional issue of water, food, climate, and peace security.
That is why Guinea is calling for international mobilization to address this challenge and is continuing its initiative to restore degraded land.
We're working with Cultival, Liberia and Sierra Leone within the Manno River Union to strengthen concerted management of transboundary natural resources.
Guinea calls on the international resources to international community to take the next step from commitments to measurable investments in land restoration.
We call for increased and simplified access to finance.
Thank you.
I thank Guin for the statement.
I now pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Haiti to be followed by Kyrgyzstan.
Haiti, you have the floor.
Excellence.
Excellency distinguished delegates, Distinguished participants.
On behalf of the Republic of Haiti, I wish to congratulate the Secretariat on the success of this cop 17 and express profound thanks to the people and government of Mongolia for their warm welcome and their excellent hospitality.
Haiti supports.
Fully the efforts of the convention seeking to strengthen mobilization of financial resources and promote clear negotiations which are inclusive and in line with reality and with the priorities of each country.
Sustainable land management is also a major issue for our populations and ecosystems and must be addressed pragmatically and in determined manner, particularly in a context marked by food insecurity, environmental crisis, drought, and the damaging effects of forced migration.
Given these challenges, it is crucial to establish adapted financing mechanisms that are adapted to national realities, particularly for the most vulnerable countries.
We must strengthen the architecture and invest more in an ecosystem resilience, land restoration, and food security.
The Republic of Haiti thus reiterates its full support to any and all initiatives and negotiations which are constructive and seek to reduce food insecurity, address the root causes of forced migration, and strengthen partnerships for a sustainable land management.
Together, we must make ecosystem resilience and sustainable land management a priority.
For a more secure, fair, and sustainable future.
I thank you.
Thank you, Haiti, for the statement.
We now move on to Kyrgyzstan, to be followed by France.
Distinguished representative of Kyrgyzstan, you have the floor.
Mr.
President, Excellency, distinguished delegates.
On behalf of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, I would like to express our appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the ministerial dialogue, and I would like to thank the government of Mongolia for hosting this important platform.
For the Kyrgyz Republic, healthy land is not Maryland environmental resource.
It is critical natural infrastructure that underpins our water, food, energy, and human security.
Together with our international partners, we have established a substantial investment portfolio.
Taken together, these initiatives represent approximately $168 million in investments in the resilience of our landscapes.
We sincerely thank the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, IFAD, FAO, the Adaptation Fund, the Republic of Korea, and all our partners for their support.
However, existing resources remain insufficient.
Financing for mountain ecosystems remains limited.
Traditional financial models fail to account for the fact that the land restoration in the upper reaches of river basins generates economic benefits far beyond the project site, including for irrigation, water supply, and energy production in downstream countries.
The central challenge is that the international financial architecture still does not fully reflect the specific circumstances of mountain regions.
By protecting mountain lands at the sources of major waterways, we safeguard the security of the entire region and to ensure water availability for millions of people downstream.
In this regard, the Kyrgyz Republic proposes the establishment of a dedicated financing window for the resilience of mountain lands and river basins, including debt for nature and debt for climate investment mechanisms.
Financing should also be provided on the basis of the land restored, cling survival rates, and improvements in the pasture productivity.
The KirS republic also believes that the beneficiary pays principle should be applied more actively.
Water users who benefit from the resilience of upstream watersheds should have the opportunity to co finance the restoration of mountain ecosystems.
The initial results and investment portfolio of this mechanism could be presented at the second global Mountain Simon Bishkek 25, which will be held in Bishkek in October 2027 and will mark Thank you, Kirksan for the statement.
Distinguished representative of France, you have the floor.
Merci President.
Thank you, Chez Distinguished colleagues in a world where land is degrading our responsibility, our collective responsibility is immense.
Drought is no longer one off crisis.
It is a systemic risk that threatens food security, rural economies, and territorial stability.
Faced with this challenge, France uphold an integrated approach based on sustainable agriculture and the adaptation of production systems to maintain healthy soils that are capable of storing water It upholds sustainable, efficient water management and development of waste water reuse, the mobilization of nature based solutions, disaster risk reduction through early warning systems, and better community preparedness.
In cases where we have not been able to avoid environmental degradation, we support soil restoration, which is essential to support populations and economies that have been affected.
Our objective is clear to anticipate rather than to suffer.
And to make resilience a cornerstone of public policies.
In many countries, access to credit remains a major obstacle to transition.
Public agricultural banks play an essential role in removing this obstacle.
France through the Agrin fee.
Approach developed by the French Development Agency supports these institutions with nearly 1.5 billion euros invested over ten years for the benefit of 25 financial institutions to finance agricultural and rural projects.
At the Africa Forward Summit last May, France supported the Declaration of Africa and Public Agricultural Banks for Sustainable Development.
Collaboration among banks is particularly important to share best practices, identify replicable and adaptive financing solutions in line with national priorities, existing financial systems and local agricultural realities.
This is why France is involved via AFD in the coalition of Public Agricultural Banks.
No single player can meet these challenges alone.
We must rely on an alliance of forces, and we must see state producers and civil society working hand in hand to structure sustainable sectors.
Together, we can improve producers incomes while reducing environmental risks.
This is what we're proud to support, for example, in the Dominican Republic in developing a quality cocoa sector.
17 is also an opportunity to strengthen dialogue with the private sector around the Business for land Initiative and to promote value chains that respect soil, water, and biodiversity.
This is the meaning of the French hub that has been announced and we will adapt and do it in the most effective way.
Thank you.
Thank you, France, for the statement.
Now, we move on to the list of observers who wants to make this statement.
We start with Permanent Interstate Committee, we start with Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean to be followed by Permanent Interstate Committee for drought Control in the Sahel.
Distinguished representative of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, you have the floor.
Thank you, Mr.
President, Honorable ministers, distinguished delegates and partner of several organizations.
It is an honor to address the UN CCD Cop 17 Ministerial Dialogue and Notary financial mechanisms on behalf of CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
CAS presents his compliments to the government of Mongolia in hosting the SOP and for his outstanding leadership on the UNCD agenda and also to complement Mongolia as co president to work with Uruguay on the International Year of Range Lands and Pastoralists.
CAS has been accepted as intergovernmental server organization to the UNCCD during Cop 16 in Riyadh and during the last two years, we have been very active in working with the global mechanism and lack countries in advancing the agenda of UNCCD implementation.
CAF is also an observer to the UF TAC and UNCVD and supports the implementation of projects and operations that integrate climate, biodiversity, and land objectives.
CAF is also engaged with green funds, and we are also a member of the EDR, and we're supporting the rear global drought resilient partnerships and also to a with FO FAS Partnerships.
We are supporting the RICE Initiative launched under COP 13 BLM.
CAF has a membership of 23 lac countries plus Spain and Portugal with a year of financial approvals of $15 billion and considering our latest strategic plan, we have established a floor of 40% by 2026 of green finance, including climate mitigation adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental benefits, including land restoration and ecosystem regeneration.
We are glad to inform that we have reached this goal in 2024.
Two years earlier, and by 2025, we have achieved a 43% of green finance, accounting for more than $20 billion cumulative of green finance in the overall 2022, 2026 period.
Your COP 13 Bern, our newly re elected executive president, Mr.
Saka Gnas has pledged an additional $40 billion in green finance for the next period, accelerating and increasing green finance to our region.
Within these overall green investment pledges, CAP has specifically pledged $6 billion by 2026 in water resilience, including drought resilience, $8.5 billion for sustainable resilient and regenerative agriculture, and $15 billion by 2030 in adaptation and disaster risk management.
This funding can support the goals and action of lac countries in meeting their LDN and an overall UNCCD national targets and action frameworks.
CAF also together with UNCCD Secretariat and global mechanisms have signed an MOU and within this framework, we have approved last year a regional technical cooperation grant program.
This program was launched during the Panama Creek to support CAF member countries in three pillars of action.
Demand swift technical support in the context of LDN targets, regional capacity and collaboration on the integration of economics and finance for land regraation and land restorations.
Finally, on demand I thank the distinguished representative of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean for the statement.
I now pass the floor to the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel to be followed by Indigenous Peoples Caucus.
Distinguished representative of the Permanent Interstate Committee for drought Control in the Sahel, you have the floor.
Mercy.
Thank you, Chair.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Ministers.
Ladies and gentlemen, heads of delegation, on behalf of the state members of the standing Interstate Committee on the fight against drought in the Sahel, the CILSS wish to offer the following message, investing in pastoralism, health the land and drought resilience in the Sahel in West Africa is not merely to protect the environment.
It is also to guarantee economic, social security stability throughout the region.
For the entirety of the West African and Shelian population, land is a strategic asset.
Its restoration is a major economic investment that strengthens food security, social cohesion, and climate resilience.
Every dollar invested in land restoration in Sahel gives rise to many benefits, an increase in agricultural production, green job creation, and reduction in forced migration.
The CILSS capitalizes its 57 years of experience by coordinating regional programs for integrated water management systems, projects for the restoration of degraded land, pastoralism and all of these together in partnership with the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Union, the French Agency for Development, and many other partners besides.
These regional approaches favor synergy, the pooling of resources, and the alignment of policy.
In a context marked by the scarcity of financial resources, the CILSS calls for the implementation of innovative financing mechanisms.
Including public private partnerships and the pooling of regional funds.
This all to avoid scattering around the financing.
As intergovernmental as an intergovernmental organization, the CILSS continues to support member states throughout the entirety of the West African Sahaln region in the production of data and information and reliable knowledge for decision making as well as for the development of early warning systems.
Much obliged.
I thank the distinguished representative of the Permanent Interstate Committee for drought Control in the Sahel for the statement.
We now continue with the distinguished representative of Indigenous People's Caucus, to be followed by United Nations Development Program.
Indigenous People's Caucus, you have the floor.
Thank you, Chair and good afternoon.
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum of the UNCCD.
Indigenous peoples did not create the certification, land degradation and drought this convention exists to confront.
Yet, we are among those who carry its heaviest burdens while protecting the land on which implementation depends.
Finance that reaches us is not charity.
It is a matter of justice and in many of our territories, a matter of reparation for dispossession we did not cause.
The operationalization of the Rad Global Drought resilience Partnership is therefore critical.
The $12 billion pledged to the partnership at Cp 16 to support a number of the most drought affected countries remains modest compared to the $2.6 trillion that the UN CCD estimates is needed by 2030 to restore degraded land and build resilience to drought.
As national drought plans are transformed into bankable and implementable projects, indigenous peoples must not be treated as merely beneficiaries.
We therefore call for financing that reaches our territories directly and excessively and is provided as grants rather than loans that create further debt, applies strong human rights safeguards and respects our right to free, prior and informed consent and ensures our full and effective participation in financial governance and prevents restoration projects from restricting access to our lands, territories, and waters or imposing externally designed solutions.
On synergies among the three RIO conventions and their financial mechanisms, coherence matters only when it delivers predictable resources to rights holders and upholds our rights consistently as funding passes between climate, biodiversity, and land architectures.
Finally, we express our deep disappointment that item eight A has been deleted from the agenda, which removes the space for full consideration of the terms of reference for the Caucus of Indigenous peoples.
We call on parties to support the sustained operationalization of the Caucus on Indigenous peoples in accordance with the decision five of Cp 16.
We cannot accept decisions on finance and synergies while the mechanism meant to secure our participation remains unrecognized.
Thank you so much.
Distinguished representative of the Indigenous People's Caucus, thank you for the statement.
Next in the least is the United Nations Development Program to be followed by Young Professionals for Agricultural Development.
United Nations Development Program, you have the floor.
Thank you very much, Distinguished Ministers, excellence, ladies and gentlemen.
Finance land restoration and drought resilience is fundamental to ensure shared prosperity and planetary health.
The economic case is clear, land degradation, desertification, drought impose enormous costs on economies, communities, and ecosystems.
Yet, investment evacoration deliver strong results through improved productivity, food security, livelihoods, and resilience.
If we are serious about addressing these challenges, finance must be integrated into our strategies from the outset.
First, we must mobilize finance at scale.
Multilateral funds such as the Global Environmental facility and the Green Climate Fund remain essential and UNDP continues to support countries in access and deploying these resources, but public finance alone is insufficient.
Its greatest value lies in reducing risk and creating conditions that affect far larger flows of private capital.
We must now channel capital into land restoration, regenerative agriculture, and drought resilience.
Initiatives such as the Task Force on nature related financial disclosure are helping investors recognize both the risks of degradation and opportunities of sustainable land management.
Second, finance must be directed where they can have the greatest impact.
Through integrate national financing frameworks, governments in more than 85 countries are aligning public and private finance with sustainable development goals.
In Mongolia, this approach has supported green livestock loans that reduce pressure on range lands while strengthening rural livelihoods, demonstrating how financial innovation can deliver environmental, economic and social benefits together.
At the same time, UNDP's biodiverse financing initiative is evolving towards a broader real the approach, identifying finance opportunities to generate benefits across all three REO conventions.
And improve the cost effectiveness of investments.
Excellence, restoring lending, strengthening resilience is not only an environmental imperative.
It's an economic and development necessity.
The cost of inaction far exceeds the investment required.
The question is no longer whether we can afford to invest, it's whether we can afford not to.
By aligning public and private finance behind national priorities, we can restore landscape, strengthen livelihoods, and build resilience.
Finance is the bridge between ambition and implementation.
Together, let us ensure the bridge is strong enough to deliver the future we seek.
I thank you.
I thank the distinguished representative of UNDP for the statement.
I give the floor to the distinguished representative of the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development to be followed by Pastoralist Goals Foundation.
Young Professionals for Agricultural Development, you have the floor.
Hello.
Thank you, chair.
Excellency ministers, disti delegates.
A recent UN CCD assessment finds $278 billion annual gap between the funds needed to restore and protect land and the money current invest.
In action scones an estimated $878 billion a year, while the required main investments could generate 1.8 trillion in a benefits.
This is one of the highest return investments available to any government here and business as usual will not close it.
On behalf of the civil society organizations, we urge parties to treat land and he drought resilience as economical and security priority they are and to move to financial architure from reactive relief and to anticipatory invest.
Building drought resilience required healthy landscapes, including protection of reshlands while agri food systems relied on food seal ecosystems.
We need to increase investments in agricology, sustainable land, water management, and the conservation of the agricultural diversity.
This required the establishment of an effective instrument on drought management and investing in gender response action for those who are affected by drought.
Funding needs to integrate traditional, local, and indigenous knowledge into risk assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring is a key.
New investment must support multi sectoral coordination, land and water governance, and a stronger institution at all levels.
The way forward is to recognize, support, and finance at scale community led initiative.
We restore day by day the hope of millions and we prove this investment work.
We used to find institutions, government, and the red action agenda to establishment and development to timely appropriate and flexible financial instruments such as grants, credit, ben finance, and risk products including insurance and savings.
Significant roles in land health financing directly accessible for indigenous people, local communities, following farmers, pastoralists won adjust, organizations to create ownership, lower transaction costs and risk affected people faster.
And their meaningful participation in the financial decision making at those levels.
Last but not least, lets invest in people who live with drugs and path ecosystem that is for path, at institution that sustains resilience and ensure that finance reach those on the front lines.
Drug resilience, be most locally human rights and ecosystem based and equally financed, we urge parties to maintain the strength of the meaningful participation of the ally actors will elevate gender and synergies of the Rio convention agenda.
Thank you, share.
I thank young professionals for Agricultural Development for their statement.
Now, I pass the floor to the distinguished representative of Pastoralist Goals Foundation to be followed by Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
Pastoralist Goals Foundation, you have the floor.
Excellencies, distinguished delegates and partners.
The pastoralist Goals Foundation welcomes the reframing of land restoration and drought resilience as a core economic priorities.
Pastoralists manage over a third of the Earth's land service.
Ranges that sustain livestock, protect biodiversity, and feed billions.
Yet, despite being on the front lines of decertification, pastoralist communities remain severely underfunded.
Closing the annual land financing gap requires direct investment in ranch land stewardships.
For centuries, pastoralists have practiced adaptive mobility and sustainable land management, serving as the primary guardians of dry lands.
Treating land as a strategic asset must mean treating pastoralists as essential economic partners.
We call on the parties, multilateral development banks and private investors to act on three priorities.
One, direct public finance guarantees and nature positive financial instruments directly to pastoralist led organizations and community land, reducing transaction costs and ensuring funds reach the ground.
Second, we ask the parties to fully support the scaling up of community driven restoration, secure land tenure rights, and build climate resilience livestock value chains.
Third, ensure mechanisms that prioritize fair, positive value chains that protect pastoral livelihoods and traditional ecological knowledge against land grabbing.
Pastoralism is a proven high return strategy for dry land resilience.
Investing in pastoralist delivers an eight to one return by securing food systems, stabilizing fragile regions, and restoring degraded ecosystems.
We urge this Cop 17 finance day to move from incremental grants to structural equitable investments, allocate capital where it matters most to the pastoralist communities safeguarding our world's ranges.
Thank you.
Pastoral Schools Foundation, thank you for your statement.
I now give the floor to the distinguished representative of Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
You have the floor.
Chair, Excellencies, distinguished guests and colleagues, it's a privilege to speak on behalf of CJR.
Heady land is not simply an environmental outcome to be financed.
It is productive infrastructure and strategic asset to be invested in.
Yet, our financial system capture only a fraction of this value.
UNCCD estimates show that around USity 355 billion is needed annually 2025-2030 to meet land restoration and drought resilience goals, while current annual investment is about USD 7 billion.
This is not only a financial gap, it is also a value recognition, risk reduction investment design gap.
CJIR sees three shifts as essential.
First, we must move from treating land restoration as a cost to investing in land as an asset.
For this, science can make the benefits and returns visible.
Second, we must move from isolated projects to investment portfolios.
Land degradation is a systems problem.
Science can provide integrated solutions that connect institutions, markets, finance.
Isolated sectoral approach failed to achieve these targets.
Sd, we must move from measuring activities to measuring performance and returns.
Finance needs credible evidence of what works, where, at what cost, with what benefits and risks, and for whom.
Science can help reduce uncertainty, improve targeting, and help restoration ambitions into propositions.
The farmers, pastoralists, indigenous people, and local communities who manage these resources and resources must be key partners in this investment, not simply beneficiaries.
CJR stands ready to work with partners, financial institutions, parties to provide the science, evidence, data, and decision tools needed to support this transition.
If we make the multiple values of healthy land visible, we can make investment in land more compelling.
If we make investment credible and locally grounded, we can move from projects to scale.
Healthy land is productive infrastructure, investing in it is, investing in food security, water security, drought residence, and future economic prosperity.
Thank you.
I thank the distinguished representative of the Consultative Group on International agriculture research.
First.
We have heard the last speaker for the first ministerial dialogue.
I thank all the speakers for their valuable contribution and all participants for their interest in this important dialogue.
Tomorrow, the ministerial dialogue on drought resilience will take place in the plenary hall at 10:00 A.M.
The second CP 17 open dialogue session originally scheduled for today will take place tomorrow at 3:00 P.M.
In the plenary hall.
Further, more information on the program for CP 17 and related meetings is available on the conference website and on the UNCCD application.
The meeting is adjourned.