UN Drought Treaty Decision Deferred After Mongolia Talks
Countries concluded United Nations desertification talks in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on August 28 without adopting a new legally binding global drought treaty. Instead, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification agreed to continue discussions at its next conference, expected to take place in Egypt in 2028.
The outcome leaves the central diplomatic question unresolved: whether countries will create a new global instrument focused on proactive drought management. At the same time, governments, development banks and other partners advanced financing portfolios and implementation initiatives aimed at restoring degraded land and improving drought resilience.
What countries agreed
The adopted drought decision says discussions will continue at COP18, building on progress made at COP16 and COP17, with a view to reaching a decision on proactive drought management at all levels. It also keeps drought as a stand-alone agenda item at COP18 and at each ordinary session afterward.
The decision also asks the UNCCD secretariat and its Global Mechanism to support implementation through existing tools and innovative mechanisms, subject to available resources, and to hold consultations during the period before COP18.
That is a postponement, not a rejection or abandonment of a drought treaty. Negotiations remain open, and the next formal test will be whether governments can narrow their differences before COP18.
What was not agreed
No new legally binding global drought instrument was adopted in Ulaanbaatar. The official advance copy of the drought decision includes annexes containing bracketed options and text that does not reflect consensus among the parties. Those passages show the state of the negotiations; they are not an agreed treaty framework.
The distinction matters because a draft option cannot create new obligations for governments. For now, countries have agreed to keep negotiating and to preserve drought as a distinct issue in the UNCCD process rather than establish new global rules.
Finance moved ahead of the treaty question
Alongside the negotiations, the UNCCD reported a $1.3 billion portfolio of finance for land restoration and drought resilience across 23 countries on five continents. The portfolio includes projects and commitments at different stages of development.
UNCCD identified $644.5 million of that total as new finance and said $216.4 million was already confirmed and moving toward implementation. The full $1.3 billion figure therefore should not be read as money already distributed to projects or communities.
A separate Rangelands Flagship Initiative brings together $1.2 billion across 45 projects. Its focus is significant for pastoral livelihoods and ecosystems that support food production, water management, biodiversity and rural economies. Its practical value will depend on project delivery, monitoring and whether funding reaches affected regions.
Asia and the Pacific get a dedicated financing pathway
On August 24, the Asian Development Bank and partners launched the Financing Investments and Eradicating Land Degradation and Desertification, or FIELD, Initiative for Asia and the Pacific. It aims to attract at least $2 billion by 2035 for land restoration and drought resilience, with an ambition to bring 1 million hectares under sustainable management.
ADB says FIELD will help participating countries design projects, access finance and implement restoration programs. The initiative includes grants and technical assistance, as well as tools such as blended finance and de-risking structures intended to attract private capital. ADB also said an initial pipeline includes land and forest restoration, river-basin and water-management projects.
The $2 billion figure is a regional target, not a claim that all of the money has already been committed or distributed. Results will depend on project preparation, national implementation and actual capital deployment.
For Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island countries, the policy relevance is broader than any one funding announcement. Drought and land degradation can affect food production, water security, disaster preparedness and pastoral livelihoods. Pacific governments also face climate-related pressures that make adaptation finance and resilient infrastructure important, even where a particular project has not yet been identified.
Why the outcome matters
Land restoration and drought planning are long-term policy issues, but they have practical consequences. Healthier soils and better-managed land can improve water retention, protect agricultural productivity and reduce pressure on rural livelihoods. Early-warning systems, national drought plans and resilient water management can also help governments prepare before a drought becomes a humanitarian or economic emergency.
Those potential benefits should not be confused with immediate changes in household food prices, water restrictions or local conditions. COP17 did not produce a measured short-term effect on consumers. The significance is that governments and financial institutions are building policy and investment channels that could shape resilience over time.
What to watch before COP18
The next meaningful test is whether the announced finance becomes measurable work on the ground before the next treaty decision. That includes project-level commitments and disbursements, national drought planning, land-restoration results and clearer negotiating language on proactive drought management.
COP17 produced an implementation architecture but not a new global drought rulebook. Its credibility will depend on whether governments and financial institutions can show practical progress before COP18, expected to take place in Egypt in 2028.
Sources
- UNCCD drought decision, ICCD/COP(17)/L.15
- ADB FIELD Initiative announcement
- Associated Press report on COP17 drought negotiations
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