A symbolic journey linking COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar officially began on May 13 in Antalya, with the launch of the Silk Road Caravan.

• 🌱 The Road to COP17: Spanning a 6,000-km route, the Silk Road Caravan will travel across 9 countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Türkiye, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Mongolia, linking former Silk Road hubs, drylands and pastoral regions before culminating at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar.

🐫 Reviving the Silk Road for Rangelands 

For centuries, the Silk Road served not only as a trade route, but as a corridor through which ideas, cultures and technologies moved across Eurasia. Today, that same route is being revisited to draw attention to one of the world’s most overlooked ecosystems: rangelands.

• Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support the livelihoods of over 2 billion people, particularly pastoralist communities across dryland regions. Yet despite their economic and environmental importance, they remain increasingly vulnerable to degradation, desertification and climate pressure.

📍 A First for the UNCCD

The caravan marks the first time the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has organized a cross-continental expedition connecting 2 consecutive COP summits. The initiative also coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, strongly backed by Mongolia.

🎥 People, Land and Storytelling

Traveling through countries historically connected by trade and migration, the caravan brings together pastoralists, researchers, UN representatives and filmmakers. Along the route, participants will document traditional herding knowledge from Mongolia and Central Asia, land restoration projects and local responses to desertification and climate change.

Why Mongolia Matter? For Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralism remains part of daily life and rangelands account for more than 70% of national territory, COP17 represents more than a diplomatic gathering. It offers an opportunity to position the country’s long-standing land stewardship practices within a broader global climate and sustainability discussion.