World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

17 June

Acknowledging that desertification and drought are problems of a global dimension in that they affect all regions of the world and that joint action by the international community is needed to combat desertification and drought, particularly in Africa, the General Assembly declared 17 June to be "World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought" by its resolution A/RES/49/115 adopted in December 1994.

UNESCO bring his scientific expertise thought is mandate in water sciences to struggle desertification and drought.

As the dynamics of land, climate and biodiversity are intimately connected, the UNCCD collaborates closely with the other two Rio Conventions; the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to meet these complex challenges with an integrated approach and the best possible use of natural resources.

Dryland ecosystems, which cover over one third of the world‘s land area, are extremely vulnerable to overexploitation and inappropriate land use. Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas; it is caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations, and affects the world's poorest. The decisions we make every day on what to buy, eat, drink, wear and how to travel – all have an impact on land resources.

The World Day to Combat Desertification is observed every year to promote public awareness of international efforts to combat desertification. The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is achievable. The commemoration of the day is led by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

"Desertification is a continuing, silent disaster, with drastic effects on nature as well as on the women and men who live in it: the destruction of entire ecosystems, acceleration of climate change, and obstacles to development and an increase in poverty in countries where the environment is under threat.[...] The way we consume has a direct impact on the condition of the land, one of the keys to responding to the threat of desertification is in our own hands."

— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought