A sneak peek into COP17’s G20 events
A sneak peek into COP17’s G20 events
The UNCCD’s COP17 is almost underway in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, kicking off on Monday, 17 August. With so much on the agenda, there will be plenty of activities to spark interest, with some of the most intriguing and practical conversations of the conference happening in the G20 GLI side events. From knowledge-sharing on issues such as artificial intelligence, youth ecopreneurship, the restoration economy, soil health, restoration of mining areas and data and the use of geospatial technologies in land restoration and policy, to engagements involving high-level delegates: Ministers, Parliamentarians attending the 2026 Global Academy for Parliamentarians and leaders of global companies involved in mining, there is something for everyone. G20 GLI is also celebrating champions of change with the launch of heartwarming Digital Impact Stories and recognizing achievements of the finalists of the 17th Greenstorm Photo Festival and the RestorLife Awards. The Action Dome — where most of these events are taking place — will be alive with conversation, ideas and a shared energy that pours into decisions on real, on-the-ground action.
Whether you are following the conference from afar or are exploring the conference grounds in Ulaanbaatar, here is a small selection of events that may catch your eye.
Clean energy and the land it occupies
On August 18, the conversation turns to one of the more subtle tensions in the sustainability space: the land footprint of renewable energy. Solar panels and wind turbines are essential to global clean energy transition, but they are not land-neutral. Unlocking Synergies Between Renewable Energy Deployment and Land Restoration, held from 11:30 to 13:00 ULAT, will explore how we can expand clean energy infrastructure without compromising the land, water, and biodiversity it sits on.
Spotlight on artificial intelligence
August 19 brings us a session that takes a hard look at the growing land footprint of artificial intelligence. From 14:30 to 16:00 ULAT, Artificial Intelligence and Environmental Sustainability: Addressing the Land Footprint of AI and Data Centres will look at AI’s growing environmental footprint, from the land and water needed for data centres to the resources required to power them. The session will also explore where and how AI could support environmental action, including monitoring land degradation and restoration, and what trade-offs potentially exist when it is used.
Free courses and green skills
On the human-centered side, August 19 also hosts Trigger Change! Innovating Higher Education Through Free Courses for Land Restoration from 16:00 to 17:30 ULAT. This is one for the students, the educators, and the lifelong learners, as promotion of the G20’s Trigger Change! courses makes restoration knowledge more accessible. The session will also preview a brand-new course in development, Opportunities in Land Restoration. There will even be a reception to celebrate!
Youth at the intersection of business and restoration
August 21, from 11:30 to 13:00 ULAT, pushes young people to the forefront with the Youth Innovation Panel: Building Careers that Restore the Planet, hosted as part of the MUNx @ UNCCD programme and the Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO) between the G20 Global Land Initiative and the International Trade Centre. Young entrepreneurs will share how they are creating businesses and initiatives around land restoration and showing how great ideas can build livelihoods and open new opportunities for the future.
From the ground and the frontlines
From the Ground Up: Frontline Voices on Land Restoration, held on 22 August from 10:00 to 11:30 ULAT, brings together practitioners who have built restoration initiatives and kept them alive beyond grants and seed funding. This session gets to the heart of what restoration still requires: long-term financing, community recognition, peer learning and a personal resilience that is never truly measurable.
From soil to policy
As one of the last few events, held on August 27 from 15:30 to 17:00 ULAT, a high-level dialogue hosted by the Middle East Green Initiative and the G20 Global Land Initiative will bring together ministers, policymakers, and experts to discuss how healthy soils underpin food security, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. From Policy to Practice: Scaling Soil Health and Land Restoration for Food Systems Resilience and Socio-Economic Prosperity is where conversations come together and push toward real policy.
The Greenstorm Photograph Exhibition
Stunning photographs of the 45 finalists of the Greenstorm Photography Festival will also be on display in the G20 Global Land Initiative exhibition, situated in the Action Dome. Come by and take a look!
There will be plenty more happening across the conference, so be sure to check out our G20 events by the day. Don’t forget to follow along on our social media channels, tune in to our livestreams when you can, and keep the conversation going with us here at the G20 Global Land Initiative.
