In Mongolia, Vital Voices elevated the leadership of women advancing locally grounded solutions to desertification, land degradation and drought.
Women across the Vital Voices Global Network are responding to the climate crisis with innovation, determination and deep knowledge of their communities. From strengthening food and water security to protecting ecosystems and building resilient livelihoods, they are creating solutions that meet immediate needs while laying the foundation for a more sustainable future.
This collective leadership was at the center of Vital Voices’ engagement at the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD COP17, held August 17 to 28, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Convened under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.,” COP17 brought together governments, civil society leaders, scientists, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, smallholder farmers and other stakeholders to advance responses to desertification, land degradation and drought.
For Vital Voices, the gathering offered an important opportunity to ensure that women’s leadership—and the community knowledge informing their work—remained part of the global climate agenda.
Centering Women’s Leadership in Climate Action
Climate change is not gender neutral. Its consequences often compound existing inequalities, particularly for women whose lives and livelihoods depend on access to land, water and other natural resources. At the same time, women are frequently leading the development and implementation of the solutions their communities need most.
Through panels and conversations at COP17, Vital Voices highlighted how women are protecting natural resources, strengthening community resilience and designing climate responses grounded in local realities.
The discussion brought together leaders from across the Vital Voices Global Network, including Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Alondra Fraustro, Habiba Ali and Enkhuun Byambadorj, alongside Rekheba Savai Maraj of our sister network, Project Underline.
Representing diverse regions, experiences and areas of expertise, the speakers demonstrated the breadth of women-led climate action. Their perspectives underscored a shared truth: communities are more resilient when women have the resources, recognition and decision-making power to lead.
Local Knowledge Is Climate Expertise
Women working at the community level often understand the effects of environmental change long before they appear in global data. They see how shifting rainfall affects crops, how water scarcity changes family and community life, and how land degradation threatens livelihoods, food systems and cultural traditions.
This knowledge is essential to designing effective climate solutions.
Women leaders are translating it into action by restoring ecosystems, improving access to clean water, supporting sustainable agriculture, strengthening climate education and advocating for policies that reflect the needs of those most affected.
Their work also challenges a persistent imbalance within global climate decision-making. Women, particularly Indigenous women and those from climate-vulnerable communities, must be recognized both as people affected by environmental crises and as experts shaping the response.
From Global Dialogue to Community Action
COP17 focused international attention on the interconnected challenges of land degradation, drought and desertification. According to the UNCCD, land degradation affects up to 40 percent of the world’s land, with serious consequences for food production, water availability, livelihoods and economic stability.
These challenges are global, but their effects are experienced locally. Effective solutions must therefore connect international commitments with the knowledge, leadership and priorities of communities on the front lines.
Vital Voices’ participation at COP17 reinforced the importance of creating space for women leaders in global forums—and ensuring that the ideas shared in those spaces lead to investment, partnership and action.
Coming Soon from Vital Voices: Women at the Heart of Climate Solutions Brief
The insights elevated at COP17 are also reflected in Vital Voices’ forthcoming Climate Brief, Women at the Heart of Climate Solutions.
The brief brings together stories and perspectives from women across the Vital Voices Global Network who are advancing climate adaptation and strengthening resilience in their communities. It explores how women are responding to environmental challenges, what makes their approaches effective and what they need to expand their impact.
Together, their stories demonstrate that women are not waiting for climate solutions to arrive. They are already building them.
As the international community moves forward from COP17, Vital Voices will continue working to ensure that women’s voices, knowledge and leadership remain at the heart of climate action.
Stay tuned for the release of Women at the Heart of Climate Solutions.