G20 GLI elevates its participation at the UNCCD COP
For the first time at the UNCCD Conference of the Parties (COP), the Initiative Coordination Office participated extensively. It contributed in the formal meetings, organized high-level events with ministerial-level participation, launched new and strategic products to accelerate the restoration of degraded ecosystems globally and brought new actors to the Conference.
As a result, the COP decisions not only acknowledge the value of the G20 GLI’s work, but they also identify areas for collaboration. In the past two UNCCD COPs, the G20 GLI, which was established in 2020, participated as an observer at the 2022 UNCCD COP and organized side events for the 2024 UNCCD COP.
During the formal COP17 sessions, G20 GLI presented its work on capacity-building in land restoration, highlighting the benefits of this work to the Convention, and presented the key issues on Artificial Intelligence in Land Restoration that UNCCD needs to consider under capacity building.
In their decision on private sector work, the Parties acknowledge the work of G20 GLI in promoting the development of the land restoration industry. On capacity building, they request the Secretariat and Global Mechanism, in collaboration with Initiatives such as G20 GLI, to provide demand-driven capacity building and to continue to strengthen partnership-based capacity building and technical cooperation.
Türkiye’s High-level event on Rio Synergies, organized in collaboration with the Initiative, received support for the creation of a voluntary, country-driven Rio Synergies Group of Action, as part of Türkiye’s key outcomes of its UNFCCC COP31 Presidency. The idea has evolved under the technical Antalya Dialogues organized with G20 GLI, together with IUCN.
G20 GLI also collaborated with the Business Council of Mongolia in organizing the High-level Mining Forum, for the first time at a UNCCD COP. Speakers expressed strong interest in or commitment to responsible mining. They stressed the need for collaboration with stakeholders, the use of global voluntary standards and action on illegal artisanal mining among the key elements in responsible mining.
The Initiative also showcased its work carried out in collaboration with partners. The Global Changemakers Academy for Parliamentarians (G-CAP), co-organized with the UN Staff Systems College in Bonn every year since 2023, met for the first time in the margins of the COP.
Eleven youth entrepreneurs from the Youth Ecopreneur (YECO) programme, implemented by the International Trade Center and G20 GLI, participated in several events promoting innovative solutions in land restoration. GLI also organized the UNCCD Model United Nations in partnership with United Nations Development Programme Mongolia. Others included the work the faith community is doing in land restoration and the award ceremonies recognizing winners of the 2026 photography and RestorLife competitions.
The Initiative also launched new initiatives, such as the Land Action Labs, a collaboration with the Sustainable Development Solutions Network to promote land restoration curricula and activities in primary and secondary schools, and the digital impact stories on land restoration developed with several partners. It organized the first Restoration Economy Roundtable, bringing together restoration businesses, finance, policy and technical actors to explore what is needed to develop and scale the restoration industry. And the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security launched its operational phase.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also released an analysis, commissioned by G20 GLI, showing that of the over 1 billion hectares of land pledged for restoration by 2030, only about 10 percent (124.3 million hectares) has been achieved. This is an area about twice the size of France.
G20 GLI organized fewer events at COP17 compared to COP16, but the depth and breadth of the exchange achieved through this shared space made room for a rich and lively exchange of views with a wide range of stakeholders and restoration communities.
The Initiative coordinated the more than 80 events organized in the Action Dome, the UNCCD’s exclusive pavilion. Many of these events were livestreamed during the COP period and are accessible via the UN WebTV channel.
