Professor Noam Weisbrod, Dean of the Desert Research Institutes, will represent the State of Israel at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
The 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17) will be held from 17 to 28 August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, under the theme: “Restore the Land,” to restore hope. Dedicated to the future of land, food security, and the resilience of populations to climate change, this global summit will bring together delegations from 197 States, including Israel, political leaders, private sector actors, NGOs, scientists, youth, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, and smallholder farmers. COP17 aims to catalyze collective action around resilience and water, the sustainability of food systems, and soil health. Professor Noam Weisbrod, Dean of the Desert Research Institutes, will represent the State of Israel at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and desert research institutes strengthens Israel’s position as a leading partner in addressing the challenges of climate change, desertification, and sustainable development. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from the Mashav Agency, the academic community, the Division of International Organizations, the Ambassador for Climate and Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from the Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev expressed their deep appreciation for the Blaustein Institute’s many years of work in combating desertification, its advancements in knowledge and research, and its significant contribution to representing Israel on the international stage.
Over the years, cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and desert research institutes has strengthened Israel’s position as a leading partner in addressing the challenges of climate change and desertification. The continuation of this cooperation and the extension of this mandate demonstrate the shared commitment to promoting Israel’s climate diplomacy and making the knowledge, innovations, and experience accumulated by the State of Israel in the fields of water, agriculture, and desert life accessible to the entire international community. Israel will continue to make a significant contribution to the global effort to combat the climate crisis and strengthen environmental resilience in the region and the world.
