LONDON – UK peers will host a House of Lords reception on 25 February to put rangelands and pastoralist livelihoods on the political agenda. Backed by cashmere supply chain groups, the event is designed to build momentum ahead of Mongolia hosted UNCCD COP17 in August and the UN’s International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026.
The event, hosted by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 25 February, will mark the UK launch of UNCCD COP17 and the UN designated International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists for 2026. COP17 will be hosted by Mongolia in August.
Organisers said the reception will bring together parliamentarians, diplomats, multilateral institutions, scientists, finance and civil society, alongside responsible supply chains, as they try to build momentum for COP17 and strengthen rangelands focused engagement in 2026.
Rangelands underpin animal fibre systems, including cashmere production across Mongolia and parts of China. Herding livelihoods and fibre quality are closely tied to grazing conditions, weather volatility and land health.
The Sustainable Fibre Alliance, a non profit working across the cashmere supply chain, is among the co organisers alongside the UNCCD, the Mongolian embassy in the UK, the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce, the Rangeland Stewardship Council and the FAO led IYRP initiative.
Mongolia’s ambassador to the UK, Enkhsukh Battumur, said rangelands and pastoralist communities play a central role in addressing land degradation, climate resilience and sustainable development, and said the UK event was an opportunity to strengthen cooperation ahead of COP17.
Organisers said rangelands including grasslands, savannas, shrublands, deserts and steppes cover around half of the Earth’s terrestrial land surface and support the livelihoods of more than two billion people. They said these ecosystems store carbon, sustain biodiversity and underpin food systems and rural economies, but remain underrepresented in international climate, biodiversity and development frameworks.
The programme is set to include speakers from the UNCCD, FAO and IYRP Global Alliance, the COP17 presidency and the government of Mongolia, as well as organisations such as IUCN, with a focus on how rangelands could be positioned within land degradation neutrality and climate resilience agendas.
Organisers said the reception will also introduce proposed initiatives aimed at scaling rangeland stewardship, including a Global Rangeland Fund to mobilise blended finance, and work towards a Global Rangeland Standard under the Rangeland Stewardship Council.
Una Jones, CEO of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance and executive director of the Rangeland Stewardship Council, said the reception is intended to help align policy, finance and practice ahead of COP17, and pointed to the fund proposal and standards work as mechanisms that could support responsible land management while sustaining livelihoods.
Attendance is invitation only under House of Lords security requirements.
