At the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for significantly greater and earlier investment in land restoration, drought resilience and adaptation as a means of reducing displacement risks before they become humanitarian crises. The Organization emphasizes that land degradation, human mobility and security are deeply interconnected challenges that require integrated policy, financing and development responses. Through its engagement at COP17, IOM is urging governments, international financial institutions and partners to scale up action and financing that protect livelihoods, strengthen resilience and preserve people's ability to stay, move safely or return with dignity.
Today, IOM is co-leading the Thematic Day on Finance, including a high-level Ministerial Dialogue on Land, Migration and Security, bringing together governments and partners to identify practical pathways for translating commitments into investments that strengthen resilience and support communities facing drought, desertification and land degradation.
"We are still much better at financing the consequences of displacement than investing early enough to reduce its risk," said Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General. "When land fails, people lose the ability to choose: to stay, to move safely, or to return with dignity. With USD 878 billion lost every year to degraded land, the costs to economies and communities are already enormous. Investing in restoration is also an investment in resilience, livelihoods and people's ability to keep these choices open."
Held under the theme "Restoring Land. Restoring Hope," COP17 comes as up to 40 per cent of the world's land is degraded, affecting half of humanity. As land deteriorates, communities can lose access to the food, water, productive land and livelihoods that enable people to remain safely where they are.
Today, close to two-fifths of humanity, some 3.2 billion people, live in areas affected by land degradation. Weather-related disasters alone have driven some 200 million internal displacements over the past decade, underscoring the need for stronger investments in resilience and adaptation.
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists also serves as a reminder that women, young people, migrants and displaced communities are not passive victims of land degradation. They are leaders, innovators and partners in building resilience and must be part of shaping the solutions.
IOM is also calling for stronger connections between evidence, policy, solutions and investment. Understanding where drought, desertification and land degradation are most likely to undermine livelihoods and contribute to human mobility can help governments and partners identify where investment is needed most, develop locally led solutions and direct financing towards communities before risks become crises.
These priorities are reflected across IOM's programming showcased at COP17. IOM is supporting the Peace Forest Initiative for the Horn of Africa, an estimated USD 30 million programme to restore degraded land and strengthen the resilience of communities facing climate pressures, while integrating human mobility considerations in fragile border areas.
Beyond COP17, IOM and UNCCD are advancing a new Joint Roadmap for Action 2026-2030 as part of their renewed partnership, setting out how the two organizations will work together on land degradation, drought and human mobility, and translate global commitments into practical action at country and community levels.
Young people are also contributing to this effort, with IOM sponsoring youth delegates from the UNCCD Youth Caucus to ensure youth voices are part of discussions on land, climate and human mobility.
"Coming from the Sahel, where communities live with the realities of drought, desertification and land degradation, being at COP17 means having our voices heard on the global stage," said one of the youth delegates. "We want to move from policy to action, from action to programmes, and from programmes to the communities that need them."
Speaking at today's Thematic Day on Finance, IOM reaffirmed its commitment to work with Member States, international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to mobilize new sources of investment and turn commitments on land restoration into practical and scalable solutions.
The message from COP17 is clear: investing earlier in healthy land, resilience and adaptation is not only an environmental imperative. It is an investment in people, helping reduce displacement risks, strengthen livelihoods and build more resilient communities. IOM stands ready to work with partners to turn commitments into practical, scalable solutions that deliver results where they are needed most.
