ULAN BATOR: The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in Mongolia in 2026, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism said Monday. Desertification is one of the most pressing issues in Mongolia. Forest only covers 7.9 percent of the country’s 1,564,116 square km of land currently. Around 77 percent of the country’s total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to the ministry. Therefore, Mongolia has been intensifying its counter-desertification efforts by implementing a national tree-planting campaign called “Billion Trees.” The nationwide campaign to plant at least 1 billion trees by 2030 was officially launched last year as Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh told the United Nations General Assembly that the country aims to combat climate change and desertification.