The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be held from 17 to 28 August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.”

Over two weeks, UNCCD COP17 will bring together governments and a wide range of stakeholders to advance action on land restoration, drought resilience, water, rangelands and food systems.

The World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) will be represented at the Conference by Jesse Schevel, Manager for Strategy, Public and Government Affairs at the LTO Nederland, and a member of the WFO Scientific Council from the University of California, Berkeley. They will follow the negotiations and contribute to the following events:

Friday, 21 August 2026 | “Soil Data and Evidence for Land Restoration” | Organised by the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) | Speaker: Prof Paolo D’Odorico, WFO Scientific Council

Monday, 24 August 2026 | Finance Day | “The Soil Nexus: Bridging Economic Viability, Sustainability, and Food Security through Farmer-Led Stewardship” | Co-organised by Save Soil and the UNCCD CSO Panel | Speaker: Jesse Schevel, LTO Nederland

Tuesday, 25 August 2026 | Water Day | “Land Restoration for Water Resilience” | Organised by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | Speaker: Jesse Schevel, LTO Nederland

Further details will follow.