2026 Heat Action Day 2026 Project Book
The story of CIEDM educational campaign for heat-adaptive landscaping at the Arcadia Ecohome Microforest is honored for being placed as the last illustrative case on the ending page of the Heat Action Day 2026 Project Book. The caption for the image read as: As part of the educational campaign for heat-adaptive gardening & landscaping, CIEDM showcased common heat-resistant plants and heat adaptive

Landmark journey carries momentum from UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar

The news is from UNCCD official website: https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/silk-road-caravan-set…

Bonn/Antalya, 13 May 2026 — The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) today launched the Silk Road Caravan in Türkiye, kicking off a journey across Eurasian countries to spotlight rangelands and pastoralist communities on the road from the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar in August 2026.

Supporting the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, the initiative will highlight the vital role of rangelands in sustaining food and water security, climate stability and economic resilience. It will also champion pastoralism as one of the most sustainable, yet underappreciated, livelihoods — especially in drylands, which make up most of the world’s rangelands and are among the most vulnerable to land degradation.

Following the historic Silk Road, the caravan will bring together pastoralists from various countries, alongside filmmakers and experts, on a unique storytelling journey. Travelling across steppes, deserts, and highland pastures, they will engage with local communities to document solutions rooted in both traditional knowledge and the latest science — sharing these stories with a global audience through social media, the silkroadcaravan.org website and a long-form documentary.

“Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support billions of people, yet in some regions are disappearing faster than rainforests. The Silk Road Caravan brings these landscapes and their stewards to the forefront of global attention, as we move from UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar with a shared responsibility to restore land, build drought resilience and secure our common future,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad during the launch ceremony in Antalya, Türkiye, alongside representatives of pastoralist communities, participating countries and partners.

As host of the Caravan’s launch, Deputy Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye Hasan Suver stated: “This meaningful and symbolic journey, stretching from Türkiye to Mongolia, represents a major awareness-raising initiative aimed at promoting the protection of rangelands, sustainable pastoralist livelihoods, and holistic approaches to land management. Beginning in Erzurum on 6 May and continuing through Malatya and Gaziantep before reaching Antalya, the journey highlights the value of rangeland ecosystems across the diverse geographies of our country. Through the field visits, filming, interviews, and meetings with local communities carried out along the way, we have once again seen that rangeland ecosystems are not only natural resources, but also an essential part of cultural heritage, economic resilience, and social sustainability.”

UNCCD Goodwill Ambassador Inna Modja, artist and singer from Mali, who has travelled with the Silk Road Caravan over 1,000 km across Türkiye, said: “I am honoured to join an initiative that brings together cultures, traditions and knowledge shaped by the land. Along this journey, we will carry the voices of pastoral communities across regions, revealing how deeply people and land are connected. I believe the Silk Road Caravan will be a powerful contribution to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, helping ensure these communities and landscapes are truly seen, heard and valued.”

Following Türkiye, the Silk Road Caravan will traverse several Eurasian countries, including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan.In addition, countries around the world are encouraged to organize symbolic events in the spirit of the Silk Road Caravan on Desertification and Drought Day, to be observed globally on 17 June under the theme ‘Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.”’The Caravan's journey will culminate at the UNCCD COP17, which is taking place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 17-28 August 2026.

The Eurasian rangelands (steppes) stretch over 8,000 kilometres from the Black Sea to the Mongolian Plateau and Northeast China, forming the world’s largest contiguous area of grazing land. Comprising one-quarter of global rangelands and over six per cent of the Earth’s total surface area, they are characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate and vast open spaces divided by mountain ranges, where livelihoods are largely dependent on pastoralism.

Road from Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar

Silk Road Caravan builds on the momentum created in 2024 at UNCCD COP16 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where countries adopted the Convention’s first-ever decision on rangelands. The decision urges Parties to prioritize policies and investments for the sustainable management of rangelands — halting their indiscriminate conversion, overexploitation, and fragmentation as well as the marginalization of pastoralists in decisions on land management and tenure security. The journey reflects the continued engagement of the COP16 Presidency, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose leadership has helped elevate land and drought as global priorities.

“COP16 marked an important step forward, with countries agreeing for the first time on a dedicated decision to support the sustainable management of rangelands. As COP16 Presidency, we remain committed to maintaining this momentum — working with partners to translate commitments into coordinated action that strengthens resilience and supports livelihoods in rangelands and beyond,” said Ahmed Saleh Al-Ayada, CEO of the Saudi National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification.

UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will provide the most significant opportunity to date to advance international cooperation on sustainable rangeland management and strengthen frameworks for inclusive governance, with a focus on aligning investments, policies and practices to deliver results at scale.

“We look forward to welcoming the Silk Road Caravan to Ulaanbaatar for COP17, where the voices, experiences and solutions gathered along this journey will help shape global policy discussions. Mongolia is committed to delivering strong outcomes for rangelands — advancing their sustainable management, strengthening the role of pastoral communities, and ensuring decision-makers fully recognize the value of these ecosystems and the people who steward them,” said Uyangaa Enkhtur , Officer at Livestock, Animal Genetics, Resource Policy Implementation and Coordination Department, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia.

Rangelands are among the world’s most vital yet undervalued ecosystems, supporting around two billion people and providing one-sixth of global food supply as well as most livestock feed. They are also home to a rich diversity of cultures and biodiversity, including nearly a quarter of the world’s languages. Yet up to half of these landscapes are already degraded or at risk, with declining soil fertility, capacity for water retention and carbon storage undermining their productivity and resilience.

More information about the Silk Road Caravan: silkroadcaravan.org

More information about rangelands in Eurasia, Southern Africa and South America:

Communal management of rangelands Community-based natural resources management in Southern Africa
Land use change and rangeland degradation: Mobile pastoralism and silvopastoral solutions in South America
Rangeland health and drought resilience: The promise of sustainable pastoralism in Eurasia
For media enquiries

For accreditation, interview requests, or to join part of the journey, please contact the UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int

Photos and videos from the journey are available from: https://trello.com/b/cnDvxXv9/silk-road-caravan

For media enquiries

UNCCD Press Office: press@unccd.int

About UNCCD 

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 Parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.

About UNCCD COP17

The seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 17–28 August 2026 under the theme ‘Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.’ Delegates from UNCCD’s 197 Parties will join leaders from government, business, civil society, scientists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to advance action for healthy land as a cornerstone of global resilience, stability and prosperity. As the first of the three Rio Conventions COPs —on land, biodiversity and climate— meeting this year, UNCCD COP17 will set the tone for the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Institutional Frameworks, Policies, and Land Data: Insights from Monitoring Land Governance and Tenure Security in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia

Authored by: Robert Peter Ndugwa and Clinton Kubondo Omusula, both attached to UN-Habitat in Nairobi

Published in 2025 on the journal Land.
The full text is here: https://doi.org/10.3390/land14050960
Below is the abstract:
Within the sustainable development goals (SDGs) framework, access to land, its governance, and tenure security play pivotal roles in fostering inclusive and sustainable development. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, Africa’s population will reach close to 2.5 billion. Moreover, the pressure exerted on African lands by climate change has significantly impacted productivity of arable land, thereby affecting agriculture—the continent’s most important sector. Therefore, effective management of land resources and protecting land rights of all citizens are now more than ever essential for attaining sustainable development and social stability. This research paper examines the critical role of land governance and tenure security in fostering sustainable development in Africa, a region facing rapid population growth and climate-related challenges. It analyses the institutional frameworks, policies, and land data availability in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia and how these factors intersect to enhance monitoring land governance and tenure security within the context of the sustainable development goals. The paper explores lessons learnt in these four countries, focusing on SDG indicators related to equitable access to land, secure land rights, and responsible land management practices.

Drought in Central Asia becoming a chronic threat, IWMI expert warns
The temperature in the region is rising faster than the global average

The news can be accessed via: https://asiaplus.news/en/2026/05/26/drought-in-central-asia-becoming-a-…

Droughts in Central Asia are becoming increasingly frequent and are turning into a chronic regional challenge driven by climate change, growing water demand, and outdated infrastructure, according to an expert from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Iskandar Abdullayev, a senior researcher at IWMI, made the remarks while commenting on the results of a regional study examining the causes and consequences of drought across Central Asia.

According to him, as part of a World Bank project, a rapid assessment of drought processes was conducted in five Central Asian countries, and the causes and possible solutions at the regional level were also examined.

Abdullayev noted that severe droughts that previously occurred roughly once every decade have become far more frequent since the early 2000s. In recent years, the region has been experiencing drought conditions almost every other year.

“The problem of drought and water scarcity is becoming chronic,” he said, pointing to climate change as the main driver. He explained that changes in precipitation patterns, declining rainfall, and rising temperatures have sharply increased pressure on water resources.

Abdullayev noted that Central Asia is warming faster than the global average and is naturally considered a water-scarce region due to its climatic conditions.

He also highlighted significant changes in river flow patterns. Whereas seasonal water inflow traditionally began in March and lasted until September, low water levels are now being recorded until June.

Among the additional causes of worsening drought conditions, the expert cited outdated irrigation systems, the growing number of water users following agrarian reforms, increasing competition for water resources, deteriorating hydraulic infrastructure, and inefficient water management.

“These factors contribute to hydrological drought, where water resources are either insufficient or distributed ineffectively,” he said.

According to Abdullayev, drought is affecting even the region’s main water-source countries — Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

He said the agricultural sector remains the most vulnerable, particularly irrigated farming, but warned that drought also has serious consequences for livestock production and the energy sector. Water shortages and declining pasture quality are causing losses in animal husbandry, while reduced reservoir levels are limiting hydropower generation.

Abdullayev estimated that economic losses from droughts can amount to as much as 2% of a country’s GDP, with damages expected to grow as droughts become more frequent.

He also drew attention to the rapid melting of glaciers, which serve as natural freshwater reserves. According to the expert, glacier volumes in the region have declined by around 30% compared to the previous century, directly affecting long-term water availability.

To address the crisis, Abdullayev identified three priority areas: establishing early warning systems for drought, improving water conservation across all sectors of the economy, and adapting agriculture to climate change through drought-resistant crops and better pasture management.

He stressed the importance of providing timely information to governments, farmers, and local communities about potential droughts, including their expected scale and duration.

According to the expert, Central Asian countries must accelerate the introduction of water-saving technologies, restore degraded pastures, and gradually shift toward more climate-resilient agricultural practices.

Read More: https://asiaplus.news/en/2026/05/26/drought-in-central-asia-becoming-a-…