In preparation for his visit to Ulan Bator, Ruslan Edelgeriyev held a series of working meetings on environmental issues in the Irkutsk Region. The main attention was focused on the conservation of Lake Baikal’s unique ecosystem, sustainable management of water resources and the cross-border aspects of environmental cooperation. The consultations were taken into account when preparing Russia’s position for negotiations with the Mongolian side.
On the sidelines of the conference, the President’s Aide took part in high-level events on the restoration of degraded land, enhancing resilience to droughts and improving financing mechanisms for environmental projects. He emphasised the need to direct international cooperation towards achieving specific practical results, taking into account the national features of each state.
Ruslan Edelgeriyev also held a number of meetings with representatives of Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Turkiye. During his contacts with the leadership of the UNCCD Secretariat, the Russian side confirmed its readiness for further constructive cooperation and for promoting the Convention’s practice-oriented agenda.
For the first time, a pavilion of the Russian Federation was set up at the venue of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The pavilion showcased Russian approaches, technologies and practices in land restoration, soil conservation, sustainable agriculture, water resource management and ecosystem monitoring.
One of the practical results was the launch of the Russian hub for the international Business4Land initiative, which is intended to increase the involvement of Russian companies in projects for the sustainable management of land and water resources.
The Russian pavilion also hosted a meeting of the UNCCD Interregional Group Central Asia – Russia. Discussions touched on combatting land degradation and droughts, improving monitoring systems, applying modern technologies and further developing scientific cooperation.
Following the meetings, the parties outlined further steps to develop cooperation in the specified areas. The Mongolian side has proposed holding a joint event to mark the 30th anniversary of Lake Baikal’s entry to the UNESCO World Heritage List, to be held at the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi this December.
Moreover, a number of countries and the UNCCD Secretariat have agreed to take part in the international conference Land Restoration and Drought Resilience: From Strategic Decisions to Practical Results, scheduled for October 30 at the Federal Scientific Centre for Agroecology, Integrated Land Reclamation and Protective Afforestation of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Volgograd.