India Deepens Green Diplomacy With Bhutan and Sri Lanka at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia

India strengthened its environmental engagement with neighbouring South Asian countries as Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav held bilateral meetings with ministers from Bhutan and Sri Lanka on the sidelines of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The discussions focused on practical cooperation in climate resilience, biodiversity protection, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration and wildlife conservation.

Yadav met Bhutan’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Lyonpo Younten Phuntsho, for discussions covering agroforestry and climate-resilient agriculture. The two sides also explored stronger transboundary cooperation for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration, areas where the interconnected Himalayan environment makes cooperation between neighbouring countries particularly important.

The talks with Bhutan reflect the expanding scope of India-Bhutan environmental cooperation. Climate change, changing rainfall patterns, forest health and pressures on mountain ecosystems increasingly require coordinated approaches that extend beyond national borders. Greater cooperation in agroforestry and resilient agricultural practices could also help rural communities adapt while preserving biodiversity and maintaining productive landscapes.

In a separate bilateral meeting, Yadav held discussions with Sri Lankan Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi. Wildlife conservation featured prominently, particularly the protection of elephant populations. The two ministers also discussed expanding capacity building and strengthening cooperation on climate-change mitigation and adaptation.

Elephant conservation provides an important area for greater South Asian collaboration because India and Sri Lanka both support significant Asian elephant populations while facing similar challenges involving habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife interaction. Sharing conservation experience, scientific knowledge and management practices could therefore strengthen efforts to protect elephant habitats while improving coexistence between wildlife and communities.

Alongside the bilateral meetings, Yadav represented India’s land-restoration efforts at the Land 2030+: Linking Action, Network and Delivery — Finance, Partnerships and Livelihoods for Restoration at Scale session. He highlighted India’s commitment under the Bonn Challenge and said the country has restored 21.76 million hectares of degraded and deforested land against its target of 26 million hectares.

The Bonn Challenge is an international restoration initiative aimed at bringing 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes under restoration by 2030. India’s progress demonstrates the growing role of large-scale restoration programmes in linking environmental protection with livelihoods, water security, biodiversity and climate resilience.

India also used COP17 to push the wider issue of financing for land restoration. At a ministerial dialogue on innovative financing mechanisms, Yadav called for adequate, predictable and sustained international finance for land restoration and drought resilience. He argued that restoring degraded land should be viewed as an investment in food security, water, biodiversity, livelihoods and long-term resilience rather than merely as an environmental expenditure.

India highlighted its own blended green-finance framework, which supports activities including climate adaptation, sustainable land use, forestry, agriculture, afforestation and biodiversity conservation. Such financing mechanisms are becoming increasingly important as developing countries attempt to expand restoration programmes while simultaneously meeting agricultural, infrastructure and development requirements.

COP17 is being held in Ulaanbaatar from August 17 to 28, 2026, under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.” The conference brings together representatives of the UNCCD’s 197 Parties as well as governments, businesses, scientists, civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, farmers and young people. Its agenda spans desertification, land degradation, drought resilience, water, rangelands, soil health, food systems and financing for restoration.

For India, the meetings with Bhutan and Sri Lanka show how environmental policy is increasingly becoming part of regional diplomacy. Issues such as biodiversity loss, forest degradation, wildlife conservation, drought and climate adaptation do not remain confined within political boundaries. Cooperation with neighbouring countries can therefore complement India’s domestic environmental programmes while creating regional mechanisms for exchanging technology, expertise and conservation practices.

The engagements in Mongolia demonstrate a broader shift in India’s green diplomacy—from participating in international environmental negotiations to building practical bilateral partnerships around agriculture, forests, wildlife, restoration and climate resilience. As environmental pressures intensify across South Asia, such cooperation could become an increasingly important pillar of India’s relations with its neighbours.