My Journey to Cover COP17 in Mongolia

After a long 15-hour flight from Abuja to Istanbul, then another flight of 8 hours and 20 minutes to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, I have finally arrived in what is called the 'Land of the Eternal Blue Sky.' I am here to cover the 17th session of the UNCCD Land conference as one of the UNCCD media fellows.

I am really excited about this chance and I look forward to getting involved with the process and talking to experts for my reports.

I have covered a few UNFCCC conferences before, but this is my first time at the UNCCD Conference of the Parties. I am truly thankful for this opportunity.

The UNCCD COP is one of the three Rio Conventions. The other two are the CBD COP, which focuses on biodiversity, and the UNFCCC COP, which deals with climate change. Nigeria is part of these conventions. The UNCCD and CBD COPs happen every two years, while the UNFCCC COP happens every year. This year, all three conventions are being held in different countries.

Today, the Blue Zone of the conference has about 10,000 participants, while the Green Zone has more than 15,000 participants.

Keep following PREMIUM TIMES for exciting updates on the discussions happening here in Mongolia. I would love to meet anyone who is around. Until then, stay tuned for more updates on PREMIUM TIMES.

By the way, the currency here is called the tugrik or Togrok (MNT). It trades at about 3,594.40 MNT for 1 US dollar, roughly 0.38 MNT for 1 Naira, and about 2.66 MNT for 1 Naira in direct exchange rates.

In Mongolia, we say: Mash ikh bayarlalaa, Thank you very much. 😃