UNCCD COP17 · Restoring land, restoring hope
Young people at the heart of the fight for land.
The Children & Youth Resilience Hub is where young people lead the response to desertification, land degradation and drought.
17–28 Aug 2026 · Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia · COP17 Youth Forum · Global & virtual
Led by youth
Not about us, without us.
The generation with the most at stake should not be the one waiting outside the door.
Children and young people will live longest with the consequences of a degrading planet, and across the drylands they are already restoring it, farm by farm and community by community.
The Hub is an independent, youth-led initiative, a home for young people’s voices, solutions and leadership: a physical space at UNCCD COP and a year-round platform in between.
What the Hub does
From the margins to the mechanism
Four commitments at the heart of the Hub, turned into a space young people can step into.
01
Empower and lead
Leadership tracks, mentorship and delegate support, so young people take real roles in the decisions on land, drought and desertification.
02
Amplify voices
A stage for youth-led storytelling and campaigns that put the frontline realities of land degradation in front of the people who can act on them.
03
Build capacity
Training, toolkits and plain-language guides that prepare young people to engage meaningfully with UNCCD processes and beyond.
04
Widen participation
Inclusive pathways into policy and governance, so youth in all their diversity sit as equals in the room, not as an afterthought.
Why it matters
The land crisis is a youth crisis
Desertification, land degradation and drought already shape the futures of billions, and the generation that inherits this land is done waiting to be asked.
~40%
of the world’s land is already degraded
3.2bn
people affected by land degradation worldwide
90%
of land could be degraded by 2050 without action
1.8bn
young people, the largest generation in history
Sources: UNCCD and UN News, 2024–25.
Ready to engage?
Whether you’re an individual changemaker or part of a youth-led organisation, there is a place for you at the Hub.