COP17: Africa urges funding that puts women at centre

Financing land restoration and drought resilience took centre stage on Monday as ministers, development partners, investors, businesses and civil society gathered at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP17 for Finance Day.

The discussions produced $1.3 billion in new and pipeline finance for land restoration and drought resilience across 23 countries. Of this, $644.5 million is new finance, with $216.4 million already confirmed and moving towards implementation.

For Africa, participants stressed that closing the financing gap must also mean changing how restoration investments are designed and who can access them.

Dr Susan Chomba, Director of Vital Landscapes for Africa at the World Resources Institute, is among scientists at COP17 highlighting African experiences in landscape restoration, including through the Africa Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative.

She is also one of 35 experts on the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface, which is providing technological advice to the convention. Dr Chomba said women should be considered in the design of new financing mechanisms.

“For restoration to be effective and inclusive, women must be beneficiaries of finance and have a voice in how investments are designed and implemented,” she said.

The discussions also placed rangelands at the centre of the new investment push. The Rangelands Flagship Initiative, valued at $1.2 billion across 45 projects, was launched in Ulaanbaatar during the UN International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026. It is the largest single mobilisation for rangelands in the history of the UNCCD.

Rangelands cover more than half of the world's land surface and support around two billion people. Yet up to half of these ecosystems are degraded or at risk. Rangelands generate estimated gains of $21 trillion to $47 trillion annually. Restoration returns $4 to $6 for every dollar invested, with returns reaching as high as $36 when wider public benefits are included.