ICLEI South America is in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for COP17 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification – the first of three COPs that the organization will be attending in the second half of the year. With agendas dedicated to discussing national issues, such as reforestation, and focused on promoting the need for subnational governments to be prominent in global discussion forums, this is the first time the organization has attended the COP on Desertification in person. 

The importance of the issue prompted ICLEI, in partnership with the Mercocities Network, to present a joint statement from South American governments to Mongolia — highlighting the need for integration between the desertification agenda and the urban agenda, encouraging greater synergy among the Rio Conventions, and calling for policies and indicators that promote a just transition in the region.

According to Rodrigo Corradi, deputy executive secretary of ICLEI South America, there is a strong focus on the synergy of the three COPs this year. "This movement is necessary to unify the themes and integrate discussions on desertification, biodiversity, and climate in a unified way, since there are no thematic divisions when it comes to addressing the challenges of these three fronts in cities and states," he explains.

Among the highlights are the Subnational Governments Forum, a space dedicated to the demands of subnational governments in the face of desertification; agendas established in partnership with the Northeast Consortium – which brings the Brazilian semi-arid region to the center of the debate at the Conference with the representation of six Northeastern states, including funding for the biome (see the full program below) –; as well as discussions related to water management in times of drought and integration in governance between cities and the countryside when the subject is resilience in the face of the effects of desertification.  

Ulan Bator Declaration

Held during the first week of the Conference, the COP17 Subnational Governments Forum brought together local and regional leaders involved in the UNCCD process, continuing nearly three decades of municipal engagement with the issue of desertification.

The Forum culminated in the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, whose main request is the formalization of a permanent and structured engagement of local and regional governments within the framework of the UNCCD, following models that already exist in the UNFCCC and the CBD. The Declaration also calls for direct and simplified financing pathways so that local and regional governments can access resources aimed at land restoration and drought resilience without having to go through national intermediaries. Read more about the document..

Caatinga as a solution for semi-arid regions worldwide

In partnership with ICLEI and other organizations, the Northeast Consortium delegation is traveling with the main objective of mobilizing partnerships for technical cooperation, exchange and transfer of technologies, as well as raising funds under the perspective of the Northeast Brazil Plan for Ecological Transformation (PTE-NE) and the consolidation of the Caatinga Fund.

The Brazilian Semi-Arid region is gaining relevance on the global climate agenda because it is home to the Caatinga, a unique biome in the world and the largest continuous dry tropical forest in South America, which has a great capacity to sequester carbon, according to recent scientific studies. This topic was discussed this year during the 5th Regional Meeting of ICLEI Brazil, held in partnership with the Northeast Consortium, which addressed the reforestation of the Caatinga and concluded with... An Open Letter detailing the strategic position of the biome., which is unique to Brazil, for the agenda.

Discussions on water management and drought 

The session “Preventing Water Bankruptcy” will discuss how cities, water and sanitation operators, watershed organizations, and development partners can respond to worsening water scarcity and the chronic deterioration of water systems, driven by drought, land degradation, overexploitation of resources, and climate change. 

The debate will address strategies for identifying warning signs, ensuring equitable water services, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening drought preparedness, with emphasis on partnerships between water operators, exchange of experiences, nature-based and basin-scale solutions, reduction of water losses, investment preparedness, and institutional strengthening. The session will also contribute to the development of key messages for World Water Day at COP17 and for preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Governance between rural and urban areas in the fight against desertification.

The integration of urban-rural relations and the use of practical tools can contribute to addressing and reducing uncontrolled urban sprawl, land degradation, and the impacts of drought. 

On the road to COP16 and beyond, ICLEI, UN-Habitat, Ambition Loop, C40, UCLG and other partners will seek to discuss concrete actions to identify flows of people, labor, waste, food, water and financial resources that connect cities, peri-urban areas and rural territories, including solutions for governance, planning, financing and community-led action. 

Check out the full schedule

Forum of Subnational Governments 

August 20th to 22nd – Blue Zone 

Climate Finance for Semi-Arid Regions

August 24th – 2 PM to 3 PM – Brazil Pavilion

Roundtable Discussion: Northeast Consortium and Caatinga Fund

August 25th – 10am to 11am – MET-19 (Blue Zone)

Preventing Water Runoff: Cities, Water Concessionaires, and River Basins on the Front Lines of Drought Resilience
August 25th – 2 PM to 3:30 PM – Room 23 (Zona Azul)

Restoring to Prosper: the Caatinga, the Semi-Arid Region, and Climate Finance

August 25th – 3 PM to 4:30 PM – MET-01 (Blue Zone)

Conservation Units as an Integrated Strategy for Ecosystem Restoration and Combating Desertification

August 26 – 10am to 11am – Brazil Pavilion

From Flows to Action: Governance of Urban-Rural Connections for Land and People

August 26 – 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM – MET-24 (Blue Zone)

Reforestation: Restoration and Climate Justice

August 26 – 2 PM to 3 PM – Brazil Pavilion

Multilevel Governance in Combating Desertification

August 27 – 10am to 11am – Brazil Pavilion

Northeast Brazil as a global laboratory for solutions for semi-arid regions.

August 27th – 2 PM to 3 PM – Brazil Pavilion 

Service

ICLEI South America at COP17 on Desertification
From August 17th to 27th in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Press contact: Giovanna Galvani | 011 92321-4617