Middle East Green Initiative Announces Participation in UNCCD COP17 to Bolster Regional Cooperation in Combating Desertification and Restoring Degraded Land
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Demonstrating its expanding regional leadership, the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) has announced its participation in the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from August 17 to 28, 2026. MGI’s presence underscores a unified effort across 35 member states committed to combating desertification, addressing climate change, and restoring degraded land throughout the region.
Participating under the core theme “Hope is Measurable,” MGI continues to convert ambitious environmental aspirations into documented commitments and tangible, on-the-ground projects. These efforts are guided by clear targets, most notably planting 50 billion trees—the equivalent of restoring 200 million hectares of degraded land regionally.
At COP17, MGI aims to present its model for regional climate action to key decision-makers, global partners, and media representatives. The Initiative will highlight its collaborative framework, which emphasizes peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and the expansion of high-impact strategic partnerships.
Throughout the conference, MGI will focus on reinforcing its partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and showcasing scalable regional solutions to shared global challenges—primarily land degradation, loss of vegetation cover, desertification, and the socio-ecological impacts of climate change.
On this occasion, H.E. the Secretary-General, Eng. Ibrahim Alturki, stated:
“The participation of the Middle East Green Initiative in COP17 offers a pivotal opportunity to reaffirm that land restoration is not merely an environmental responsibility, but a cornerstone for enhancing climate resilience, advancing sustainable development, and safeguarding the future of communities across our region. Through regional cooperation, effective partnerships, and science-based action, our member states and partners can transform shared challenges into enduring opportunities for sustainable impact.”
Through its engagement at the conference, MGI seeks to deepen dialogue with governments, international and regional organizations, scientific institutions, financial entities, and the private sector to forge actionable partnerships that accelerate the implementation of projects with meaningful environmental, social, and economic benefits.
About the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI)
The Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) is a regional platform dedicated to combating desertification, mitigating climate change, restoring degraded lands, and expanding vegetation cover. MGI fosters collaboration among member states and partners, facilitates knowledge sharing, mobilizes technical and financial support, and develops actionable regional solutions to secure a more resilient and sustainable future for the region.
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