About 30 mayors, governors and other local and regional leaders have adopted the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, committing to advance local action on sustainable land management and drought resilience.

They called for a stronger and more permanent role for cities and regions in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) process.

The declaration was adopted at the UNCCD COP17 Mayors’ Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where more than 200 participants from over 30 countries, including local and regional leaders, international organisations, city networks, financial institutions, academics, researchers and private-sector representatives, gathered to discuss land resilience.

The forum was hosted by the Governor’s Office of the Capital City of Ulaanbaatar and co-organised by the UNCCD Secretariat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Local2030 Coalition and ICLEI and Local Governments (UCLG), through the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF), as a key partner.

The Ulaanbaatar Initiative was also launched at the forum. Led by the Capital City of Ulaanbaatar, the voluntary initiative will test a practical approach for cities to measure and report on land degradation, with results to be shared with the Convention by COP18.

The Ulaanbaatar Declaration builds on commitments made by local and regional governments at UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and seeks to move the process from political recognition towards sustained engagement and implementation between conferences of the parties.

Titled ‘Local Leadership for Land Resilience: Advancing Implementation across the Rio Conventions’, the declaration outlines five key calls to action for local and regional governments, UNCCD parties, the UNCCD Secretariat and partners.

The first calls for integrated local action on sustainable land management, drought resilience, biodiversity, climate resilience, water security and sustainable urban development, while strengthening urban-rural linkages.

The second seeks a stronger role for local and regional governments within the UNCCD process; while he third calls for greater coherence among the three Rio Conventions; while the fourth calls for stronger partnerships and financing, including more direct, simplified and predictable access to finance for local and regional governments.

The fifth promotes knowledge, innovation and cooperation through peer learning and the exchange of practical experiences, including nature-based solutions.

Signatories committed to advancing local action on sustainable land management, land restoration and drought resilience