What Isn’t Named Isn’t Protected and being Named Isn’t Enough By Bayarsaikhan Namsrai, Gregoria Jimenez Amaya, Isabel Davila Pereira and Stephen Basele Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

What Isn’t Named Isn’t Protected and being Named Isn’t Enough By Bayarsaikhan Namsrai, Gregoria Jimenez Amaya, Isabel Davila Pereira and Stephen Basele ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, Sep 23 2026 (IPS) - Rightsholders came to Ulaanbaatar from across the world, carrying declarations, demands and years of experience defending the lands on which their communities depend. Indigenous Peoples, local communities, Afro-descendant Peoples, women and youth were equally clear about what they needed from COP17. But being in the room is not the same as having power in the room. In a year when the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and the three Rio Conventions were supposed to create momentum for rights, recognition and implementation, the negotiations showed how quickly those gains can be diluted when the people concerned are not able to shape the language that governs their lands. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/what-isnt-named-isnt-protected-and-being-named-isnt-enough/ Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -