Mongolia is the Caravan’s destination and its global stage. As host of UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar (17–28 August 2026), Mongolia welcomes the world under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope,” directly linking land restoration to development, resilience and security.
For Mongolia, the rangelands and pastoralists are at the heart of the nation’s identity: vast grazing ecosystems, herder livelihoods and a culture rooted in the land, where the yurt is both home and compass across the steppe. With COP17 taking place during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the Caravan’s arrival signals a shift from awareness to investment-ready implementation for sustainable rangeland management and drought resilience, including national initiatives such as the Steppe Action Agenda.
The final stretch unfolds across vast landscapes long associated with the far reaches of the Silk Road. Here, herders move with horses, sheep, goats and camels across open grasslands, beneath distant mountains and immense skies, creating a powerful sense of arrival in a land shaped by nomadic tradition. It is a fitting conclusion to the Caravan — a place where the spirit of the Silk Road lives on in the deep bond between people, landscape and the open road.
The 6,000 kilometer journey culminates in Mongolia, where UNCCD COP17 gathers under the theme “Restoring Land, Restoring Hope” and the world’s attention turns to rangelands, pastoralists and investment-ready action.