GENEVA-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATE IN UNCCD COP17
Representatives of international organizations headquartered in Geneva and the surrounding area are participating in the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), being held in Ulaanbaatar from 17 to 28 August 2026.
High-level representatives of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the International Trade Centre, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands, and the Group on Earth Observations are contributing to the conference through special events, expert discussions and pavilion activities.
During the conference, Ms. Gim Huay Neo, Managing Director and Member of the Managing Board of the World Economic Forum, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Uchral Nyam-Osor, Prime Minister of Mongolia, and met with H.E. Mr. Aldarjavkhlan Jukov, Minister of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth. Their discussions covered the digital economy, data centres and other areas of potential cooperation.
H.E. Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, met with Dr. Musonda Mumba, Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands. H.E. Mr Sandag-Ochir Tsend, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia, held separate meetings with Dr. Grethel Aguilar, Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Dr. Musonda Mumba. The meetings focused on strengthening cooperation in their respective areas of work.
On Finance Day at COP17, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme announced up to USD 7.5 million in new grant funding for ecosystem-based adaptation projects. The funding will support innovative, scalable and investable nature-based solutions that strengthen climate resilience and advance ecosystem restoration.