A youth-led, cross-agency Cook Islands delegation has returned from the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 17–28 August 2026.
Representing the National Environment Service (NES) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the delegation brought together expertise in environmental policy, communications, biosecurity, partnerships and project implementation.
The Cook Islands delegation comprised Tekura Moeka’a, Manager of the Environmental Policy and Planning Department at the National Environment Service; Sandee Cook, Digital and Communications Coordinator; Piriariki Maao, Director Biosecurity Services; Siana Whatarau, Senior Partnerships Coordinator; and Puna Kamoe, Project Advisor.
UNCCD is one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside the global conventions on climate change and biodiversity. It addresses desertification, land degradation and drought and promotes sustainable land management and resilience.
While “desertification” may seem distant from the Cook Islands, the Convention has important relevance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Healthy land underpins our food security, freshwater, biodiversity, livelihoods and resilience. For islands, what happens on land also affects our streams, lagoons, reefs and ocean – reinforcing the importance of ridge-to-reef and land–ocean approaches.
Over two weeks, COP17 negotiations addressed drought, Land Degradation Neutrality, science and technology, national reporting, capacity building, resource mobilisation, land tenure and the future direction of the Convention.
Cook Islands delegates were actively involved across the formal negotiations, including the Committee of the Whole,(CoW) Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) and Committee on Science and Technology,(CST) alongside technical discussions and side events.
The delegation also worked closely with Pacific SIDS present at COP17 and the Asia-Pacific Group, including coordinating and delivering the Pacific SIDS opening and closing statements. Through these groups, the Cook Islands advocated for greater recognition of the unique circumstances and capacity constraints facing small island countries and contributed to strengthening the collective Pacific voice within the UNCCD.
The Cook Islands also assumed a leadership role, with Tekura Moeka’a elected to the COP Bureau representing the Asia-Pacific region, providing an opportunity for the Cook Islands to contribute to the governance of the Convention during the intersessional period towards COP18.
Tekura Moeka’a, Head of the Cook Islands delegation to UNCCD COP17, during the Conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Ms Moeka’a was elected to the COP Bureau representing the Asia-Pacific region. Photo: ENB-IISD / Anastasia Rodopoulou
“Our focus was to make sure Pacific realities were heard. We need decisions that recognise our limited land and freshwater resources, our data and capacity constraints, and the connection between our land and ocean,” Ms Moeka’a said.
COP17 reinforced a simple message for our islands: our land, water and ocean are interconnected, and protecting them requires the same connection in how we govern and make decisions.
