Global Schools at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia: Bringing Education into the Land Restoration Conversation

This August, the Global Schools Program took part in UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia, under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope.” Over the course of the first week, the Global Schools Program had the opportunity to engage with partners, hear directly from Mongolian students and educators, and make the case for education to be a part of the conversation of restoring and protecting land.

The Global Schools team was very excited to participate in the event, "Education for Land: Synergizing the Rio Conventions: Lessons Learned and Inspiring Strategies,” organized by the G20 Global Land Initiative at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification at the UNCCD COP 17 Action Dome. A recording of the session can be found here. 

The session brought together Ariunzaya Radnaa, Student at Shine Ehlel School in Ulaanbaatar; Mashrur H. Shurid, Co-founder and CEO of Aunkur and YECO 2023 alum; Shinetsetseg Erdenebayar, CEO of the Foundation for Environmental Education Mongolia; Bayarmaa Zogsoosuren of the Mongolian National Council for Education Accreditation; Bethany Walder, Executive Director of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER); Amanda Abrom, Director of the Global Schools Program at the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; Alejandra Ramos Gálvez, Senior Research Associate at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS); and Apoorva Bose, Strategic Partnerships and Communications Officer at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) of Landscape Alliance. The discussion was moderated by Karen Sudmeier-Rieux, Education Expert at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s G20 Global Land Initiative.

The conversation included voices from students at schools across Mongolia, alongside educators, researchers, universities, and restoration experts. Panelists shared everything from their experience bringing land restoration into school curricula to giving students more opportunities to actually get outside and work on restoration themselves. The event also included audience participation from Mongolian students representing Shine Ekhlel, Hobby School, Global School, Deutsche Schule, School No. 23, Erdmiin Orgoo School, and the Mongolian State Conservatory School, who shared their perspectives and firsthand restoration experiences.

Amanda Abrom, Director of the Global Schools Program, had the opportunity to share a first look at the Land Action Labs, SDSN’s new collaboration with G20 Global Land Initiative. The Land Action Labs project will work with schools and teachers around the world to make land restoration more practical and accessible, by providing training materials, educational resources, and hands-on activities that students can take back to their own schools and communities. More information will be available on the Global Schools website and will be shared soon.

The Global Schools Program also hosted an open-dialogue session together with the Youth Negotiators Academy (UNA) and Eco Schools Mongolia, where we brought young negotiators, high-school students, COP17 delegates, and educators together at the United Nations Association of Mongolia’s House of Friendship Pavilion.

Barkat Bin Saïda Matazaky, a young negotiator for Madagascar, and Murunwa Mathoho, a young negotiator for South Africa, talked about how they actually found their way into environmental negotiations, including the education, people, opportunities, and experiences that helped them get there.

Shinetsetseg Erdenebayar, CEO of FEE Mongolia, shared the work of students and teachers in Mongolia, and the importance of connecting students to nature in tangible, actionable ways. Afterwards, the conversation opened up to the COP17 delegates participating, providing opportunities for them to share insights on their own educational experiences. 

In conclusion, land restoration can sound like an enormous challenge, but it can also start in very practical ways in schools. Global Schools is excited to put this into practice in partnership with the G20 Global Land Initiative through the Land Action Labs initiative, which is soon to be launched in schools around the world.