COP17 in Mongolia: Ukraine draws attention to environmental damage caused by russian aggression

On 17 August in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) began — one of the world’s key platforms where states coordinate policies on land conservation, restoration, combating degradation, and strengthening resilience to drought. The conference runs until 28 August under the motto “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.”

Ukraine’s delegation, formed by the Ministry of Economy and Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and led by Eduard Arustamyan, Director of the Department of Nature Reserves, Protected Areas, and Biodiversity, is tasked with presenting national approaches to sustainable land management and post‑war recovery, while consistently highlighting to international partners the scale of environmental damage caused by russian aggression.

The war directly harms the very resources the Convention seeks to protect: productive land and soils, water resources, forests, and ecosystems. Landmines and unexploded ordnance render vast areas unsafe, while combat operations pollute soils and water and destroy ecosystems. A major example is the Kakhovka dam disaster: according to UNEP, part of the environmental damage is irreversible, with consequences lasting decades.

Dialogue with Asian and African states is especially important, as they face daily challenges of land degradation, desertification, water scarcity, droughts, and food security. On the UNCCD platform, Ukraine can speak the language of shared problems — land, water, food, and resilience — and explain why russian aggression has long‑term consequences not only for Ukraine but also for global environmental and food security.

Globally, the scale of challenges is immense: UNCCD estimates that up to 40% of the world’s land is degraded, affecting nearly half of humanity. COP17 therefore focuses on moving from declarations to practical solutions — restoring degraded land, increasing drought resilience, mobilizing financing, conserving soils and water, and building more resilient food systems. Over two weeks, governments, international organizations, scientists, financial institutions, businesses, and civil society will work on land restoration, drought risk management, water security, pasture management, food systems, and soil health. Thematic days will address financing, water, the link between land and human well‑being, food systems, and soil health.

For Ukraine, this agenda is directly tied to national recovery: returning war‑damaged and polluted land to safe and productive use, restoring soils and ecosystems, combating droughts, and adapting agriculture to climate change will require modern technologies, science‑based solutions, international partnerships, and significant investment.

Ukraine was represented in COP17’s formal statements on the very first day. The delegation will continue to use plenary sessions, negotiations, and bilateral contacts to ensure Ukraine’s voice is heard: land restoration cannot be separated from peace, and environmental responsibility cannot be separated from accountability for its destruction.