After a 15-hour flight from Abuja to Istanbul and then to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, a UNCCD media fellow has arrived in the "Land of the Eternal Blue Sky" to cover the 17th session of the UNCCD Land Conference. The journey involved a 6-hour 25-minute leg from Abuja to Istanbul, followed by an 8-hour 20-minute flight to Ulaanbaatar.
Media Fellow's Role and Excitement
Selected as one of the UNCCD media fellows, the journalist expressed genuine excitement about the opportunity. "It's an opportunity I'm truly excited about, and I look forward to engaging with the process and relevant experts for my reporting," the fellow said. The journalist has covered several UNFCCC conferences in the past but noted this is the first time covering the UNCCD Conference of the Parties.
UNCCD COP as a Rio Convention
UNCCD COP is one of the three Rio Conventions, alongside the CBD COP (the Biodiversity COP) and the well-known Climate Change COP (UNFCCC COP). Nigeria is a signatory to all three conventions. The UNCCD and CBD COPs are held biannually, while the UNFCCC COP occurs annually. This year, all three conventions will be hosted across three different countries.
Conference Participation and Coverage
On the first day, the conference Blue Zone registered about 10,000 participants, and the Green Zone reported more than 15,000 participants. The fellow encouraged readers to follow PREMIUM TIMES for updates on discussions unfolding in Mongolia. Several stories have already been published to inform readers about conversations shaping the event and what Nigeria and other African nations aim to push for at the negotiation table.
The Mongolian currency is called the tugrik or Togrok (MNT), trading at approximately 3,594.40 MNT per $1, roughly 0.38 MNT per N1, and about 2.66 MNT per 1 NGN in direct cross-rate terms. In Mongolia, the expression "Mash ikh bayarlalaa" means "Thank you very much."
