Barbara Riedemann

For the first time, a declaration from mayors and governors entered the formal record of a UNCCD COP. Beyond this milestone for cities and regions, COP17 advanced new finance for land and drought resilience and built momentum for greater coherence across the Rio Conventions.

In 2000, a severe dzud, an extreme winter that can cause widespread livestock losses, hit Mongolia. As herders lost their livelihoods, many moved to Ulaanbaatar. A shock unfolding across the country’s rangelands became an urban challenge, adding pressure to a capital already grappling with rapid growth, infrastructure demands, mobility and air pollution. For B.

With less than five years remaining to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), convened under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, marked a pivotal moment for assessing progress and defining what comes next.