India urges proactive, tech-based drought resilience at UNCCD COP17
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has called for a fundamental shift in the global approach to addressing droughts, urging nations to move from reactive relief measures to proactive, technology-enabled resilience. He was speaking at the Ministerial Dialogue on “Accelerating Drought Resilience” during the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Tuesday (August 25, 2026).
Mr. Yadav warned that dry spells are rapidly escalating and are “no longer an occasional event, but a defining development challenge.” He cited the compounding disruptions droughts cause to global water security, agricultural food systems, biodiversity, and economic stability.
Highlighting India’s coordinated, multi-institutional approach, the Minister said the country integrates early warning systems, mitigation measures, relief operations, and community resilience. Rainfall monitoring and satellite-based drought assessments trigger preparedness at the inter-ministerial and State levels, ensuring that a dry spell does not escalate into a crisis.
Emphasising the critical link between land and water, Mr. Yadav stated, “restore the forest, before the flow,” underscoring India’s focus on catchment and riverscape forestry to reduce erosion, improve water retention, and recharge groundwater.
The Minister advocated for integrating predictive technologies, localised early-warning monitoring, and proactive land management policies. The goal, he noted, is to equip vulnerable communities to anticipate and absorb environmental shocks rather than relying primarily on post-disaster relief.
The ministerial talks form a central component of UNCCD COP17, hosted by Mongolia under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” Adopted in 1994 following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the UNCCD is one of the three major Rio Conventions — alongside the framework conventions on climate change and biological diversity. It is the sole legally-binding international agreement linking environmental management directly to sustainable land stewardship.
COP17 serves as a pivotal negotiation platform, with land degradation currently affecting up to 40% of the planet’s land surface and undermining the livelihoods of billions of people. Delegates from 197 member parties, along with civil society leaders, scientists, and international financial institutions, have convened to negotiate binding frameworks and policy guidance.
Key discussions at UNCCD COPs focus on setting national targets for land degradation neutrality, restoring degraded rangelands and dryland ecosystems, expanding green finance mechanisms, and improving global cross-border data sharing for drought forecasting. The agreements negotiated at COP17 aim to translate high-level environmental commitments into measurable, investable solutions for water and food security over the next decade.
