Save the Children brings children’s and youth’s voices to COP17 and calls for more investment in environmental education

The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026. The conference brought together representatives of the 197 Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, high-level government representatives, international organisations, academic and research institutions, the private sector, civil society, children and youth, local residents, herders, and other stakeholders. Bringing together policymakers, experts, and representatives from around the world, COP17 was a major international event that addressed desertification, land degradation, and drought, while seeking collective solutions for land restoration and a sustainable future. Save the Children participated extensively in COP17, ensuring the participation of children and youth, highlighting the importance of environmental and climate education, and emphasizing the importance of meaningful child participation in reducing land degradation and desertification.

Save the Children in Mongolia served as one of the contributors to COP17 Mongolia

Save the Children in Mongolia served as one of the contributors to COP17 Mongolia. As part of the conference, Save the Children in Mongolia participated in both the Green Zone and Blue Zone and organized side events in collaboration with government agencies, international organizations, and civil society organizations. This participation provided an opportunity to bring the voices of children and youth into the discussions at COP17, while also presenting Save the Children’s work and child-centred approaches in environmental and climate change action in Mongolia to national and international participants.

Joint Position Paper Developed with the Ministry of Education and Call for Action

The Ministry of Education and Save the Children in Mongolia jointly developed a position paper on environmental and climate education and presented it during COP17. As part of the development of the paper, consultations were held with children and youth across five regions of rural and urban Mongolia to understand how they experience environmental changes and to hear about their needs and opportunities related to environmental education, skills, and participation. The findings were incorporated into policy recommendations.

The Ministry of Education and Save the Children in Mongolia called on the Parties to the UNCCD and the international community to strengthen cooperation in the following three areas:

• Invest in environmental and climate education at all levels of education – developing children’s and youth’s knowledge, attitudes, and skills by combining traditional and contemporary knowledge with practical activities;
• Ensure meaningful participation of children and youth – establish mechanisms for children and youth to participate meaningfully in the planning and implementation of environmental education policies, programmes, and activities;
• Increase financing to support green skills, learning environment, innovation, and green entrepreneurship – making these opportunities accessible, particularly to adolescents, youth and women.

During the discussions, participants explored opportunities to connect education policies, curricula, teacher capacity, green schools, green skills, school-community cooperation, and post-COP17 partnerships, technical support, and financial assistance with concrete actions.

Side Events Organised in the Blue Zone

On 24 August 2026, Save the Children co-organised a side event with the Ministry of Education entitled “Investing in Children and Youth for Land Restoration and a Green Future”.  The event was opened by T. Nyam-Ochir, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education. The main discussion featured Sh. Batbayar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change; Hwang Myeong-hwa, Director of International Programs at Save the Children Korea; L. Bayan-Altai, Country Manager of Save the Children Mongolia; Kh. Otgonbaatar, Director of the National Institute for Educational Research; Ts. Soyol-Erdene,Professor of the National University of Mongolia; and representatives of children and youth.

In addition, on 26 August 2026, Save the Children, People in Need-PIN Mongolia, the Billion Trees National Movement, and the National Environmental Youth Council jointly organized a discussion entitled “Children and Youth Leadership in Land Restoration” initiated by World Vision International. Han Yoori, Programme Manager and International Expert at Save the Children Korea, participated as a panelist and shared experiences in supporting children’s and youth’s climate action through afforestation, environmental education, and eco clubs.

Bringing Children’s and Young People’s Voices to the COP17

Save the Children brought representatives of children and youth from Dundgovi province and Nalaikh district, areas highly affected by land degradation and desertification, to COP17. A series of training sessions, preparatory meetings, and discussions were organized for them to strengthen their knowledge of desertification, land degradation, and climate change.

At the side event “Investing in Children and Youth for Land Restoration and a Green Future” jointly organized with the Ministry of Education on 24 August 2026, Ts. Bayasgalan, a student of Golomt School in Nalaikh District of Ulaanbaatar, spoke about how dust pollution affects the learning environment. B. Bayar-Erdene, a student of School No. 109, lives in Tuv province, raised the issue of multiple unplanned roads in the local area. E. Altantuya, a student of Erdmiin Dalai School in Dundgovi Province, shared how severe dust storms in the Gobi affect her life and learning conditions, drawing on her own experiences.

U. Aisulu, a student of the German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology, also participated as a panelist in the “Children and Youth Leadership in Land Restoration” discussion on 26 August. She shared her practical experiences in children’s and youth’s leadership, climate education, tree planting and greening schools.

Projects and Good Practices Presented in the Green Zone

On 18, 19, 20, and 24 August 2026, Save the Children in Mongolia presented the results and practical experiences of its projects to the public and international participants at Pavilion B3 in the Green Zone. During these days, approximately 5,000 people visited the Save the Children pavilion. Representatives from Germany, Australia, China, South Korea, and Bulgaria, as well as students and teachers from Chuson University in South Korea, also visited the pavilion and learned about Save the Children’s activities and projects.

Students from eco clubs supported by Save the Children in Mongolia introduced project objectives and activities, as well as their experiences in tree planting, climate education, eco clubs, and local community participation. Students from secondary schools in Nalaikh District of Ulaanbaatar, the American School of Ulaanbaatar, and the German-Mongolian Institute for Resources and Technology volunteered in the Green Zone and shared information with visitors.

In addition, Members of Parliament B. Munkhsoyol, Ts. Munkhbat, and S. Odontuya supported and participated in activities organized by Save the Children during COP17. MP B. Munkhsoyol visited the Save the Children pavilion in the Green Zone, learned about its activities, and met with guests and representatives from Save the Children Korea. MP Ts. Munkhbat participated in a side event “Investing in Children and Youth for Land Restoration and a Green Future” jointly organized with the Ministry of Education in the Blue Zone and expressed support for the views of children and youth.

Strengthening Save the Children’s International Cooperation

The COP17 Ulaanbaatar event was attended by Mitsuaki Toyoda, New Business Development and Institutional Partnership Manager and Mongolia Country Director at Save the Children Japan; Hwang Myeong-hwa, Director of International Programs at Save the Children Korea; Yoon Shin, Humanitarian and Climate Program Manager; Yoori Han, Program Manager; and Abinash Lahkar, Climate Change Advisor.

They participated in COP17 activities together with the Save the Children Mongolia team and shared international experiences and lessons learned in the areas of children’s and youth’s climate action, environmental education, and afforestation.

Key Results of Save the Children’s Participation in COP17

During COP17, Save the Children supported children and youth to become not only participants in discussions on climate change, desertification, and land degradation, but also active contributors who could voice the challenges they face in their own lives and potential solutions. Incorporating the views of children and young people into policy documents and communicating them to national and international decision makers, while also raising the issue of investing in environmental and climate education at the policy level within the framework of COP17, was an important outcome of the participation.

As a contributor to COP17 Mongolia, Save the Children in Mongolia also participated in the Green Zone and Blue Zone, expanded cooperation with representatives of government, international organizations, civil society, schools, universities, children, and youth, and promoted the experiences and results of child-centered environmental and climate programs implemented in Mongolia to international participants.

Save the Children’s social media contents related to COP17 reached a total of 191,000 people. More than 5,000 people visited the Green Zone pavilion, while 65 organizations and individuals expressed more detailed information about the projects and interest in potential collaboration.