The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

observance celebrated each year on 17 June. Its purpose is to

raise awareness Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

. Each year's global celebration has a unique, novel emphasis that had not been developed previously. This day was proclaimed by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

resolution A/RES/49/115 on January 30, 1995, after the day when

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through ...

is drafted.

Desertification and the Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development declares that "we are determined to protect the planet from

degradation Degradation may refer to: Science * Degradation (geology), lowering of a fluvial surface by erosion * Degradation (telecommunications), of an electronic signal * Biodegradation of organic substances by living organisms * Environmental degradatio ...

, including through

sustainable consumption Sustainable consumption (sometimes abbreviated to "SC") is the use of products and services in ways that minimize impacts on the environment in order for human needs to be met in the present but also for future generations. Sustainable consumption ...

and

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations". Specifically, SDG Goal 15: Life on Land states the resolve of the

and the SDG signatory nations to halt and reverse

land degradation Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of human-induced processes acting upon the land. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious o ...

Annual themes

* 2022 - Rising up from drought together * 2021 - Restoration, land and recovery. We build back better with healthy land * 2020 - Food. Feed. Fibre - the links between consumption and land * 2019 - Let’s Grow the Future Together (Reflecting on 25 years of progress and envisaging to the next 25) * 2018 - Land has true value. Invest in it * 2017 - Link between land degradation and migration (in light of Syrian mass emigration following environmentally-caused failure of Syria's agricultural system) #2017WDCD * 2016 - Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People. * 2015 - Attainment of

food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World ...

for all through

sustainable food systems A sustainable food system is a type of food system that provides healthy food to people and creates sustainable environmental, economic and social systems that surround food. Sustainable food systems start with the development of sustainable a ...

.UNESCO's page for 2017 World Day to Combat Desertification - #2017WDCD
/ref> - "No such thing as a free lunch. Invest in healthy soil" * 2009 - Conserving land and energy = Securing our common future * 2008 - Combating land degradation for

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem ser ...

* 2007 - Desertification and Climate Change - One Global Challenge * 2006 - The Beauty of Deserts – The Challenge of Desertification * 2005 - Women and Desertification * 2004 - Social Dimensions of Desertification: Migration and Poverty * 2003 -

International Year of Deserts and Desertification The year 2006 was declared the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly. The Year aims to raise $20 million from industry and governments and will spend half on co-funding research, and half on "outrea ...

(IYDD) * 2002 - Land Degradation

References

{{Reflist

External links

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
June observances United Nations days Desertification 1995 introductions