24/08/2026
STATEMENT BY THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI AT THE SEVENTEENTH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD COP17)
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | August 2026
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I bring warm regards from His Majesty, the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Eswatini. We are honoured to participate in the Seventeenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, here in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Allow me, at the outset, to express our appreciation to the Government and people of Mongolia for hosting this important Conference and the UNCCD and its partners for organising it.
We meet at a time when land degradation and drought are no longer distant environmental concerns but lived realities. In the last cropping cycle for example, Eswatini experienced a drought of six weeks at the peak of the growing season, decimating the crop that forms our staple diet.
This in a year when La Nina was generally regarded to be dominant. As we are deliberating here, we are aware that Southern Africa is warming up at twice the global rate. We are further aware of the impending monster EL Nino forecasted by a number of international climatologists. These phenomena disrupt our collective efforts towards food security, water security, better livelihoods, accelerated economic growth, poverty reduction and enhanced human dignity.
For countries such as Eswatini, these challenges are particularly significant as our people depend heavily on the productivity of our land. Agriculture supports livelihoods, rural economies and food security. Our rangelands support livestock production. Our forests and ecosystems provide important environmental and economic services. Our water resources sustain communities, agriculture, industry and the broader economy.
Mr. President,
Eswatini therefore views the fight against desertification, land degradation and drought not simply as an environmental responsibility, but as a fundamental component of sustainable development and economic transformation. We therefore propose a global response that covers at least the following tenets:
● Treating land restoration as an investment in national and global development.
● Investing in increased land productivity and water conservation.
● Strengthening climate resilience while protecting livelihoods.
● Ensuring that environmental sustainability and economic development reinforce one another rather than compete against each other.
● Developing a global approach to a global problem.
Silo mentalities will not win this battle. Climate change, which is a primary driver of these phenomena, knows no territorial or continental boundaries and its effects are not always restricted to the location of causal activity. A collaborative framework is paramount for collective success.
● Putting science, technology and innovation at the center of our response. We live in the 4th Industrial Revolution, let us harness it to better shape our future.
● Recognising the interconnection between the global environmental agendas. Land degradation, climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity and water insecurity are deeply interconnected. Coherence among these and designing integrated responses are therefore paramount.
● Embracing inclusivity in problem solving, solution design and benefits rollout. Vulnerable communities, women, youth and people living with disabilities should be at the core of all processes.
There can be nothing for them without them.
The Kingdom of Eswatini welcomes the focus of COP17 on translating commitments into practical action. As people entrusted with the responsibility to lead our communities, history will judge us by the positive changes we bring to the lives of our respective peoples, or lack thereof. Talk alone will not bring those changes but concrete actions on the ground will. As I draw to a close, I must reiterate that Finance remains critical.
The commitments emerging from the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership represent an important opportunity to move from plans to implementation.
COP17 should ensure that vulnerable developing countries are able to access predictable, affordable and additional financial resources to implement drought resilience and land restoration programmes.
Eswatini stands ready to work with all Parties, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector and communities to turn the ambition of this COP into practical action. We are restoring our degraded land and rangelands, planting 10 million trees, building dams for climate resilience and implementing water conserving initiatives and adopting climate-smart technology.
However, we cannot do it alone. We need the global community.
I dare say again: “Land restoration is not an environmental expenditure; it is an investment in food security, livelihoods and economic growth.”
I thank you, Mr. President.
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