The ‘Green Finance-Regional Forum’ being organized under the auspices of the President of Mongolia has issued a statement calling for regional cooperation. Chief of Staff of the Office of the President Ya.Sodbaatar introduced the statement to the participants. CALL FOR COLLABORATION IN MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND COMBATING DESERTIFICATION Climate change has become one of the most pressing challenges facing the world. It causes steep increase in temperature, melting of glaciers and ice caps, rise in the sea level, and increase in the frequency of natural disasters. Due to inappropriate human activities, over the past 200 years, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere sharply increased and the earth’s surface temperature rose by 1.1 degrees Celsius when compared with the average of 1850-1900. Mongolia is inevitably considered as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change due to its geographical location, climatic conditions, the structure of economic sectors, and lifestyle of the population. The consequences of climate change aggravate the risks and pressures on economic sectors, which are highly dependent on the environment and the climate, and have direct impacts on the increase in soil and pasture degradation, forest fires, pests, as well as in frequency, intensity, and coverage of natural and climate-induced disasters. The Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) alerts that globally, in the near future, climate change will cause a reduction in productivity of the existing agricultural land by 20-50%, an increase in soil erosion by 10-20%, and a rise in the frequency of disasters; thus suggesting a worsening trend. The report, therefore, reminds all heads of state and government, policymakers, and researchers to pay close attention to the issue. “The Billion Tree National Campaign” initiated by the President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa has multifaceted benefits in terms of fulfilling Mongolia’s commitments and obligations under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, reducing negative impacts of desertification and land degradation, expanding Mongolia's forest resources, increasing the number of urban forests and parks, supporting livelihoods of citizens and creating a healthy and safe living environment. It is of utmost importance to expand not only regional, but also the widest possible collaboration in order to tackle the climate-induced challenges including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eradicating poverty in the context of adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change and meeting the sustainable development objectives. Mongolia is calling for support to its initiative and efforts to initiate and develop projects and cooperation towards accelerating regional collaboration in mitigating climate change and combating desertification; specifically in the following areas: - Adopt and implement an integrated program on reducing land degradation, and combating desertification as well as sand and dust storms in the Northeast Asian region; - Within the program referenced above, jointly implement the “Green Belt” project to establish a shelterbelt forest against sand movement in southern and northern parts of Mongolia and the People's Republic of China, respectively; - Establish a platform for information and knowledge exchange and capacity building in reducing desertification and land degradation, establishing shelterbelts, increasing soil fertility and introducing environmentally friendly advanced technologies; - Implement joint international and regional projects and programs to combat desertification and transfer technology for reducing sand movement, and to increase partnerships and collaborations in the existing network of international financial organizations. Let's proactively work together towards regional environmental development through combating desertification and land degradation and creating OPPORTUNITIES to jointly counter the problems and challenges we face! “GREEN FINANCE - REGIONAL FORUM” 29-30 MARCH 2022 STATE PALACE, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA