The Ulaanbaatar Declaration, a global call to action from pastoralists and Indigenous pastoralists, was presented at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on 20 August 2026.

Anders Oskal, Secretary General of the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH), presented the declaration during the third meeting of COP17, bringing the priorities and concerns of pastoralist communities from around the world directly into the international policy arena.

The declaration was developed through the Global Gathering of Pastoralists, held in Mongolia in August, which brought together around 300 pastoralists from different regions of the world.

“The Global Gathering of Pastoralist brought together around 300 pastoralists of the world and we have produced a Declaration that gives a voice to several hundred million pastoralists, the voice of the global pastoralists’ community,” said Anders Oskal.

“This Declaration is pastoralists’ call for action for our lands, our territories, our heritage and our future.”

Pastoralists as guardians of rangelands

At the heart of the Ulaanbaatar Declaration is a call for greater recognition of pastoralists (including Indigenous pastoralist peoples) as knowledge-holders, rights-holders and custodians of their ancestral lands, territories and resources.

The declaration stresses that pastoral communities have managed rangelands for generations through traditional knowledge, customary institutions, mobility and collective stewardship. These systems support biodiversity and ecosystems while sustaining food systems, livelihoods, cultures and communities.

A global issue

The declaration comes at a particularly significant moment. The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, highlighting the environmental, economic and cultural importance of rangelands and the communities that depend upon them.

Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth's land surface and directly support the livelihoods of around 500 million people. Yet these landscapes are increasingly affected by land degradation, climate change, drought, fragmentation and changing land use.

For Arctic and sub-Arctic communities, the declaration also carries particular relevance. Reindeer herding and other forms of mobile pastoralism remain central to the livelihoods, knowledge systems and cultural identities of Indigenous peoples across northern regions. Their experience demonstrates the close relationship between healthy grazing lands, traditional knowledge, mobility and the ability of communities to adapt to environmental change.

Bringing pastoralist voices to COP17

UNCCD COP17 is being held in Ulaanbaatar from 17–28 August 2026 under the theme Restoring Land. Restoring Hope. The conference brings together governments, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, scientists, civil society and other stakeholders to address desertification, land degradation and drought.

The declaration represents a collective message from pastoralist communities worldwide: protecting rangelands also means protecting the people, knowledge, cultures and ways of life that have sustained them for generations.

Source: The Ulaanbaatar Declaration is available through the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).