Why COP17's Unfinished Promises Leave Indigenous Peoples Without A Formal Voice At The Talks Again
Synopsis
COP17 in Ulaanbaatar saw Indigenous Peoples and civil society sidelined as agenda items on gender, participation and Rio Convention synergies were blocked, leaving decisions postponed until COP18.
Two years after COP16 in Riyadh was hailed as a turning point for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, COP17 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar ended with those promises unfulfilled. The caucuses created to give them formal standing were never operationalised, and their agenda was deferred until COP18.
For communities on the frontlines of desertification and drought, participation is not symbolic. It shapes whether global solutions reflect realities on the ground.
Agenda Blocked At The Outset
On August 17, the opening day, the United States objected to including items on gender, civil society participation and synergies among the three Rio Conventions. Without consensus, they were removed from the agenda before substantive work began.
For two weeks, Indigenous Peoples, youth and civil society groups pressed for restoration of the items, supported by several governments. But by the closing plenary on August 28, the issues remained excluded, postponed until COP18.
The deadlock extended to other areas. Agreement on a global drought framework, binding or voluntary, could not be reached, repeating the stalemate from COP16.
Indigenous representatives voiced frustration. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim of Chad said the caucus terms of reference should have been adopted at COP17. Sonia Astua Manpardeva, speaking for the Indigenous Peoples Caucus, stressed that communities are “rights holders, knowledge holders, custodians and solution providers,” not merely victims of crises.
Civil society organisations issued a joint statement warning that blocking key issues undermined commitments and stalled urgent negotiations. They urged parties to ensure gender, participation and synergies return to the COP18 agenda.
Red Lines And Pushback
The blocked items reflected deeper disputes over the UNCCD’s role in the wider multilateral system. COP17 was the first of three Rio Convention COPs this year, ahead of biodiversity and climate meetings, positioning it to set the tone.
The US resisted references to “synergies of the three Rio Conventions,” objecting to terms including “climate change,” “climate action,” “gender equality,” “Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities,” and “Indigenous Knowledge.”
Other governments pushed back. The European Union reaffirmed commitment to stronger synergies, calling the failure unfinished business. Spain stressed the interconnectedness of climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and drought. Paraguay, for Latin America and the Caribbean, linked synergies directly to effective implementation of the UNCCD.
Cameroon cautioned against reinterpretation of the convention outside its legal process. India, speaking for Asia-Pacific, said gender, synergies and stakeholder participation had arisen across multiple agenda items and required resolution before COP18. South Africa echoed concern, warning that evolving national priorities should not weaken collective commitments.
COP17 closed with unfinished promises. Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain without the standing they were promised, while gender and synergies await resolution. As civil society noted, restoring hope requires respect, negotiation and compromise - a challenge now carried forward to COP18.