The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) continues in Ulaanbaatar.

On the third day of the conference, the "High-Level Sustainable Finance Forum-2026" commenced under the theme "Increasing Investments in Land, Water, and the Environment in an Era of Climate Risk."

During the forum, participants are discussing identifying and managing climate and environmental risks, as well as mobilizing public and private investments into climate-resilient land, water, and ecosystems.

Opening the forum, Chief of Staff to the President A. Uilstuguldur expressed gratitude to co-organizers and participating parties, expressing confidence that this forum will lay the foundation for new partnerships, concrete proposals, initiatives, and mutual cooperation.

He also noted that Mongolia has been hosting this forum under the auspices of the President since 2022, which demonstrates that the country places sustainable and green financing at the core of its national development policy.

He highlighted that everyone can see how climate change, desertification, land degradation, and biodiversity loss—caused by humanity approaching Mother Earth and the environment with a transient, guest-like mindset—are sounding alarms and leaving nature like a patient struggling for life in an intensive care unit.

Therefore, he emphasized the urgent need to intensify the fight against these issues and make a concrete shift from declarations to actions, from objectives to implementation, and from commitments to tangible results.

In this context, he highlighted the necessity to strengthen national consensus, unified policy, and mutual understanding across all sectors—including government, the private sector, and civil society—to further accelerate sustainable financing.

He mentioned that Mongolia has launched major national movements such as "One Billion Trees," "Food Supply and Security," "White Gold," and "Healthy Mongolian," and successfully secured UN approval for its initiative to declare 2026 as the "International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists." Furthermore, Mongolia has introduced new initiatives, including the "SDG Financing Taxonomy," the "Blue Bond Financing Framework," and the "Mongolian Green Finance Corporation."