The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) was held from 17 to 28 August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” The Conference brought together governments and a wide range of stakeholders to advance action on land restoration, drought resilience and water management.
On 25 August, the Ecumene Global Forum’s official side event at UNCCD COP17, “Guarding the Source: Practical Solutions for Protecting Intertwined Ecosystems,” was held. The discussion brought together representatives of the UNCCD secretariat, as well as government, scientific and business representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and other countries.
The discussion was moderated by Evgeny Khilinsky, Vice President, Gazprombank JSC. Participants focused on two interconnected priorities: protecting vulnerable transboundary water systems through an ecosystem-based approach and preventing agricultural land degradation at early stages using scalable restoration technologies. Practical solutions considered included strengthening transboundary riverbanks, anti-erosion activities, and nature-based solutions aimed at preserving the critical link between land and water ecosystems.
One of the key outcomes of the event was the official launch of the Russian Business4Land (B4L) Hub — a national platform designed to engage Russian businesses in the global agenda for sustainable land, soil and water management. The Russian B4L Hub was launched by Yasmine Fouad, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, and Ruslan Edelgeriev, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation, Special Presidential Representative for Climate and Water Resources.
The full programme and the event livestream recording are available at: