UN land talks fail after African walkout

A United Nations conference on land restoration has concluded without establishing a legally binding agreement to combat drought, pushing the issue to the next round of talks in Egypt in two years' time. According to Climate Home News, African negotiators coordinated a walkout from negotiating rooms during the UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after their push for a drought protocol was resisted, mainly by developed nations.

For over a decade, African countries have advocated for a UN protocol on drought risk management. A formal protocol would treat drought as an issue requiring regional and global action, not just national responses. It could unlock more finance to ensure water availability during droughts. A Tunisian negotiator, speaking for the African Group, stated last week that such a protocol would shift countries from reactive measures to "a proactive enabling mechanism to address drought and its effects such as migration." The effort has been consistently resisted at successive UNCCD conferences.

Negotiations reach boiling point

The International Institute for Sustainable Development's Earth Negotiations Bulletin reported that negotiations reached "boiling point." A call to suspend talks on Wednesday reportedly "made some jaws drop." After a lunchtime meeting with the Mongolian COP presidency, governments could only agree they lacked consensus. They decided to resume talks on a drought instrument in 2028.

Christine Colvin, WWF’s head of freshwater policy, told Climate Home News that with droughts occurring from Honduras to Hampshire in England, a concrete instrument is urgently needed. She criticized the delay, saying it represented "the can being kicked down the road for another two years." In a closing press conference, the Mongolian presiding minister celebrated consensus on several contentious issues. Agenda items blocked at COP17 will be addressed at COP18 in Egypt.

US blocks key agenda items

Other divisive agenda items involved measuring land degradation's effects on women, enhancing civil society and women's involvement in COPs, and improving UNCCD collaboration with other UN conventions. On the conference's opening day, the US representative stated the Trump administration objected to these items "on their premise." The US requested they be removed from the agenda to save "valuable negotiating time."

A US State Department spokesperson later said the US wants the UN "to get back to basics by refocusing on its core mandate, eliminating overlap, and reducing competition for scarce resources." The spokesperson added this meant prioritizing concrete work over "social and political agendas, including gender-related initiatives." The European Union and Brazil pushed back against the blocking. A Brazilian negotiator said his country attached "great importance" to the items. The Mongolian presidency directed adoption of the rest of the agenda, leaving the controversial items for private discussions.

An EU statement, read by Irish minister Timmy Dooley, accused "some parties" of a "less constructive approach" that prevented discussions from starting. The blocked items were never formally discussed and were only added to the next COP's agenda on the final day.

Gender and civil society participation stymied

Blocking the gender agenda item stalled efforts agreed at the previous COP to develop gender-specific indicators for the UNCCD's next framework and to facilitate more women delegates. UNCCD analysis shows women made up only about a quarter of delegates to COP15 in 2022. The EU stated it welcomed "the attention being given at COP17 to women pastoralists and herders."

UNCCD head Yasmine Fouad said she was proud she and COP17 President Batmunkh Battsetseg had led the COP as women. "Without the women," she said, "we will not be able to restore land, restore hope, restore life or restore even our children and grandchildren." The civil society agenda item aimed to allow NGO attendance at negotiations and included terms for an Indigenous Peoples Caucus. An Indigenous Peoples representative expressed "deep disappointment" that the dedicated space for their voices was removed, stating, "We cannot restore the land while removing the voices of those who care for it."

UNCCD deputy head Andrea Meza said blocking "one agenda item" was "generating uncertainty" in progress toward creating caucuses for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. She noted that due to the "complex geopolitical situation," coalitions of the willing had become more important.

Finance pledges and external protests

Outside formal talks, the summit focused on pastoralists, rangelands, and mining's role in land degradation and restoration. Part of the conference was sponsored by mining company Rio Tinto and its local partner Oyu Tolgoi. Campaigners protested their presence, wearing T-shirts urging the companies to "stop wasting drinking water" and to "get out of Mongolia."

The UNCCD praised the summit for raising finance for land restoration. Institutions like the Asian Development Bank and Global Environment Facility pledged funds. The UNCCD estimates $645 million in new commitments were made. An estimated $355 billion annually is needed through 2030 to meet global land restoration commitments, compared to around $77 billion currently invested. Private finance accounts for only about 6% of global investment. UNCCD chief scientist Baron Orr noted many announcements were public-private partnerships using government money to "even the playing field."