Representatives from nearly 200 countries concluded United Nations talks on desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Friday, focusing on strategies to maintain land productivity amid intensifying climate change and widespread land degradation. The biennial conference, organized by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), highlighted increasing drought risks and the urgent need for sustainable land and water management.
According to the UNCCD, nearly 40% of the world’s land is degraded, posing significant challenges for food security, livelihoods, and ecosystems. Yasmine Fouad, executive secretary of the convention, noted that droughts are becoming more frequent, severe, and prolonged due to climate change, with previously low-risk regions now facing heightened vulnerability.
A key unresolved matter from the talks was the proposal for a legally binding global drought agreement. Delegates postponed the decision until the next conference, scheduled to take place in Egypt in two years, after the issue was deferred at the last meeting. Experts emphasized that drought severity depends not only on rainfall but also on soil health. Healthy soils can absorb and retain water, sustaining crops and natural habitats during dry spells, whereas degraded soils fail to hold moisture and lose productivity, exacerbating drought impacts.
“The connection between soil and water management is essential,” Fouad said, underscoring the interdependence of sustainable water practices and healthy land. Joao Campari, global leader for food and agriculture at WWF International, added that separating land and water management risks undermining food security, as agriculture depends entirely on both.
The growing demand for food, driven by a rising global population, is expected to increase by 50% from 2012 levels by 2050. However, expanding agricultural production by converting natural ecosystems such as grasslands and savannas often accelerates land degradation. Such practices not only release stored carbon into the atmosphere but also impair the land’s ability to store water. Degraded lands also contribute to more frequent and intense sand and dust storms, with Fouad explaining that unsustainable land use leaves soil exposed to wind erosion.
During the 12-day conference, a new rangelands initiative was launched, committing $1.2 billion across 45 projects to restore and sustainably manage grasslands, savannas, and other grazing lands—ecosystems that cover 54% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface and support around 2 billion people. The Asian Development Bank also pledged $2 billion to combat land degradation in the Asia Pacific region.
Campari highlighted the rapid conversion of rangelands to alternative uses, which occurs at about four times the rate of deforestation. Because these landscapes store roughly double the carbon found in the atmosphere, their destruction can significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions, even without large-scale tree removal.
A substantial financing gap exists to meet global land restoration goals, with an estimated $355 billion needed annually through 2030, compared to current investments of around $77 billion. Private sector contributions represent just 6% of this funding. While more than 70 countries have developed national drought plans—up from three in 2013—experts warn that inadequate financing hampers the effective implementation of early warning systems, water management, and adaptation efforts.
Fouad called for governments to advance from planning to investment-focused strategies that engage private companies, local communities, women, and youth. To support this shift, a new Drought Resilience Investment Facility was announced in Ulaanbaatar, aiming to mobilize up to $400 million in public and private capital for projects related to water security, sustainable agriculture, nature-based solutions, and land restoration.
Esther Penunia, secretary general of the Asian Farmers Association, cautioned against allowing unresolved legal questions to delay action. She stressed that solutions are already available and can be deployed if adequate resources are provided, urging stakeholders not to wait for future climate conferences to respond to the growing drought crisis.