The High-Level Segment was opened by President of Mongolia Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. Participants also included United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmin Fouad, ministers and representatives of the Parties to the Convention. Former Presidents Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica, Tarja Halonen of Finland  and Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea also attended the event.

The High-Level Segment focused on accelerating the restoration of degraded land, strengthening resilience to drought, promoting sustainable rangeland management, and scaling up financing for related measures. President Khurelsukh presented the Steppe Action Agenda, which places particular emphasis on rangelands, the interlinkages between land and water resources and nature-based solutions for infrastructure.

Financing for land restoration was among the key issues discussed. As part of the High-Level Segment, a Ministerial Dialogue on “Innovative Financial Mechanisms for Land Restoration and Drought Resilience” was held. The discussion brought together representatives of governments, the United Nations, international financial institutions and other organisations, including senior officials and representatives of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, UNEP and other international institutions.

Participants highlighted the need to increase financing and establish financial instruments that are more accessible, faster, more predictable and more transparent. According to figures presented in COP17 materials, the annual financing gap for addressing desertification, land degradation and drought is estimated at approximately USD 278 billion, while the economic losses resulting from inaction amount to around USD 878 billion annually.

During the Ministerial Dialogue, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Environmental Issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change Aziz Abduhakimov noted that, for Uzbekistan, land degradation, desertification and drought are not only environmental challenges but also socio-economic ones, directly affecting food and water security, the resilience of rural areas and long-term economic development.

Uzbekistan has a territory of approximately 45 million hectares, of which around 30 million hectares are occupied by desert and arid landscapes. More than 11 million hectares are classified as degraded, while approximately 70 per cent of the country’s territory is exposed to the risk of desertification. Rangelands cover around 26 million hectares and approximately 60 per cent of them are experiencing declining productivity.

As Aziz Abduhakimov emphasised, under the leadership of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the country is steadily strengthening measures to combat desertification and restore degraded ecosystems. In the Aral Sea region, protective vegetation has already been established across more than 2 million hectares of the dried seabed of the Aral Sea, helping to reduce dust storms and enhance the resilience of the region.

Particular attention in the address was devoted to the development of financial instruments. In particular, the USD 153 million RESILAND Uzbekistan project, financed by the World Bank, is aimed at strengthening landscape resilience and promoting cross-border cooperation. In addition, more than USD 32 million in grants was mobilised in 2025 for the environmental stabilisation of the Aral Sea region.

At the same time, it was noted that international financing remains insufficient. In this regard, Uzbekistan proposed a number of regional mechanisms aimed at mobilising investment and ensuring measurable results.

One of the initiatives involves the establishment of the Drylands Project Lab under the Regional Research Institute for Combating Desertification and Developing the Desert Economy at Green University. The platform is intended to transform scientific research and proven solutions into investment-ready projects. To support project preparation, Uzbekistan proposed establishing a Central Asian Land Project Preparation Centre to provide grants and technical assistance. The objective is to develop the region’s first portfolio of projects by 2027.

Another proposal was to establish, under the UNCCD and its Global Mechanism, a dedicated financial window for Central Asia focused on land restoration, drought resilience, and combating sand and dust storms through blended finance mechanisms.

To support rangeland restoration, Uzbekistan proposed establishing a Central Asian Rangeland Data Processing Centre and linking financing to independently verified environmental and socio-economic outcomes. This approach would enable a shift from financing individual activities towards financing concrete and measurable results.

In addition, Uzbekistan proposed working jointly with the UNCCD, UNFCCC and relevant international standard-setting organisations to develop a specialised Carbon Standard for Drylands for the measurement, reporting and verification of carbon sequestration in deserts and other arid ecosystems.