Environment & Climate
United Nations desertification talks end without global drought agreement
Delegates from nearly 200 countries postponed a decision on a legally binding pact for two years while pledging billions for rangeland initiatives.
The short version
- Representatives at the U.N. desertification conference in Mongolia deferred a decision on a legally binding global drought agreement, pushing the issue to the next talks in Egypt in two years.
- The 12-day conference highlighted a massive $278 billion annual funding gap for global land restoration efforts.
- New financial commitments were announced, including a $1.2 billion rangelands initiative and a $2 billion pledge from the Asian Development Bank for the Asia Pacific region.
Key facts
- Delegates from nearly 200 nations concluded 12 days of United Nations desertification talks in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.[Associated Press]
- The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification reports that up to 40% of the world's land is currently degraded.[Associated Press]
- A decision on establishing a legally binding global drought agreement was postponed until the next round of talks in Egypt in two years.[Associated Press]
- An estimated $355 billion is required annually through 2030 for global land restoration, but current investments stand at approximately $77 billion, leaving a $278 billion yearly deficit.[Associated Press]
- The conference launched a rangelands initiative backing 45 projects with $1.2 billion, and the Asian Development Bank pledged $2 billion to target land degradation in the Asia Pacific.[Associated Press]
- The meeting introduced the Drought Resilience Investment Facility, designed to leverage up to $400 million in public and private funds for sustainable agriculture and water security projects.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It remains undecided whether participating nations will ultimately agree to implement a legally binding global drought framework when they reconvene in Egypt.[Associated Press]