UNCCD COP17 Finance Push: As UNCCD COP17 enters its final stretch in Ulaanbaatar, ministers are shifting from talks to decisions, with “Finance Day” spotlighting how to mobilize public and private money for land restoration and drought resilience. ADB Rural Resilience Funding: The Asian Development Bank launched the $92.6m Green Inclusive Regional Agribusiness Fund (GIRAF) for Mongolia, backing sustainable rangeland management and livestock-linked rural businesses via concessional loans, guarantees, microfinance and grants. GEF Drought Program: The Global Environment Facility unveiled a $140m initiative to strengthen drought resilience and dryland management across Asia-Pacific, aiming to expand sustainable land management by 1 million hectares by 2035. Solar for Clean Heating: UN officials visited Ulaanbaatar’s Chingeltei District to review a UNDP project upgrading ger districts with solar PV heating for 450 households, cutting costs and air pollution while enabling surplus power to the grid. Fuel Standards Update: Mongolia plans to move Ulaanbaatar to Euro-5 fuel and ban low-quality AI-92 tied to Euro-2 standards to reduce sulfur and improve air quality. Mining Pipeline: Azzuro Resources set maiden JORC exploration targets at its Oval and Red Hill copper-focused projects in southwest Mongolia, with drilling planned to test district-scale, multi-commodity potential. Maritime Disruption: India intensified search for 22 missing crew after a China-bound iron ore bulk carrier sank off Odisha, with two survivors rescued.