By Barbara Nwaiwu
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has welcomed the outcomes of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17).
The summit delivered progress on rangelands, grasslands, pastoralist communities and nature-positive agriculture but fell short of expectations on a stronger international framework for drought preparedness and resilience.
The conference closed on Friday, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after Parties adopted decisions aimed at protecting, sustainably managing and restoring rangelands and grasslands, supporting pastoralists and local communities, and promoting a transition towards nature-positive agriculture.
The COP17 Presidency also mobilised stakeholders around a flagship Rangelands Initiative, which attracted $1.2 billion in investment for rangeland ecosystems and related solutions.
However, WWF said negotiators were unable to agree on a landmark protocol or framework to strengthen drought preparedness and resilience despite efforts by the Mongolian Presidency and a number of countries.
Instead, Parties agreed to continue negotiations at COP18 in 2028, following the deferral of a decision on the issue at UNCCD COP16 in 2024.
Commenting on the overall outcome, WWF Global Food & Agriculture Leader, Joao Campari, said the elevation of rangelands, grasslands and nature-positive agriculture had created new hope, although countries and communities facing worsening drought impacts had not secured the stronger framework they had sought.
“The theme of COP17 was ‘restoring land, restoring hope’. While those countries and people facing the ever-worsening impacts of drought have been left short-changed, the elevation of rangelands, grasslands and nature-positive agriculture has created new hope for billions of people.”
Indeed, formal negotiations are just one part of the puzzle at a COP – everyone can take hope from the momentum generated across all key issues by the actions being taken by coalitions of determined stakeholders.”
“Yet hope alone will not protect nature, limit climate change or put food on the table. COP17 has laid strong foundations but the focus must now shift to implementation on the ground and supporting local communities to deliver lasting benefits for all.”
On drought, WWF Global Head of Freshwater Policy, Christine Colvin, said the failure to secure the proposed protocol or framework was disappointing but noted that governments, civil society organisations and financial institutions had continued advancing drought-related action outside the formal negotiations.
“It is deeply disappointing that ambition on drought dried up. A meaningful outcome hasn’t been delivered, and we don’t have a stronger foundation from which to build action. But at least the critical conversations that happen outside negotiation rooms continued to flow.”
“Whilst no substitute for a protocol or framework, the drive displayed by many governments, CSOs and finance institutions will ensure implementation can progress. Parties didn’t deliver the agreement we hoped for but with many countries around the world experiencing drought disasters, individual and regional stakeholders will get on with the task in hand, enhancing drought preparedness and resilience to protect people and nature.”
WWF Global Grasslands and Savannahs Lead, Leonie Meier, described progress on rangelands, grasslands and savannahs as a major achievement of COP17, stressing the need for changes in how the ecosystems are managed, governed and financed.
“Grasslands, savannahs and rangelands cover more than half our land and are the source of most of the world’s food. Nature-positive food and agriculture systems are essential to maintaining these critical ecosystems.”
“We must therefore change the way they are managed, governed and financed. From the Presidency to Parties to pastoralists, and all other stakeholders in between, COP17 has delivered for these once overlooked landscapes.”
WWF also expressed disappointment that formal negotiations on stronger cooperation among the three Rio Conventions covering climate change, biodiversity and land degradation were blocked.
Martina Fleckenstein, WWF Global Head of Food & Agriculture Policy, said the interconnected nature of the environmental challenges required a coordinated response, while noting that cooperation was continuing outside the formal negotiations.
“People do not experience land degradation, nature loss or climate change as independent issues. A coordinated and integrated response is needed to address integrated impacts. It was disappointing that formal negotiations to integrate across Rio Conventions were blocked, but synergies are being created nonetheless. Presidencies of all three COPs are advancing this work and food and agriculture have emerged as a key opportunity.”
WWF called on governments, financial institutions, businesses, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to translate the commitments and initiatives from COP17 into practical action and build on the momentum generated in Mongolia.
The organisation urged stakeholders to use the forthcoming meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to take place in Armenia and Türkiye respectively, to further advance the momentum generated at COP17.
WWF said the progress on rangelands, grasslands, pastoralists and nature-positive agriculture provided a foundation for further action, but stressed that implementation, urgency and support for local communities would be crucial to turning the COP17 outcomes and financial commitments into tangible benefits.
