HEART Joins UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia as an Observer Organisation
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026 under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” Delegates from 197 Parties met with scientists, young people, Indigenous Peoples and civil society to address desertification, land degradation and drought.
HEART, an accredited UNCCD civil society organisation, took part as an observer in the NGO/CSO category. The delegation was led by Executive Director Jobair Mahmud Jubo together with PhD candidate Mohammad Rasel Amin.
Bringing local voices to a global stage
The delegation joined sessions including the UNCCD Youth Caucus plenary, speaking for climate resilience, sustainable land management and youth-led environmental action. HEART's aim was to connect what we see in coastal Bangladesh, where salinity, cyclones and land loss threaten livelihoods, with global decisions on finance and policy.
COP17 is one more step in HEART's work to make sure communities in Cox's Bazar are heard where decisions about their future are made.
