World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (17/06)

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, celebrated worldwide annually on June 17, was established by the UN General Assembly in 1994 (resolution 49/115). The date for the holiday was chosen in connection with the anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on June 17, 1994.

The Convention directed States to devote the Day's activities to raising awareness of the need for international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought, as well as progress in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention to Combat Desertification.

The UN General Assembly also proclaimed the period from January 2010 to December 2020 as the UN Decade dedicated to deserts and the fight against desertification. Its purpose is — to promote dryland conservation activities (resolution 62/195 of 2007).

Desertification — is one of the world's most alarming environmental degradation processes of our time. A third of the Earth's surface is subject to degradation, which accordingly threatens the health and sources of funds for the coexistence of more than 1 billion people.

Drought is one of the most devastating natural disasters in terms of loss of life from impacts such as widespread crop failure, forest fires and water scarcity. Droughts, exacerbated by land degradation and climate change, are becoming more frequent and severe, 29% more than in 2000, and affect 55 million people each year. By 2050, droughts could affect approximately three quarters of the world's population.

The problem of desertification — is a global and pressing problem of global importance, which has serious consequences for the system of international environmental security, efforts to eradicate poverty, socio-economic stability and sustainable development. The consequences of desertification and drought are food insecurity, hunger and poverty. Related social, economic and political tensions can lead to conflict, further impoverishment and increased land degradation. Rising desertification around the world threatens to increase the number of poor people forced to seek new shelter and livelihoods by millions.

For example, the total area of Russian soils subject to desertification processes or potentially dangerous in this regard is, according to various estimates, from 50 to 100 million hectares. These are the regions of the Volga region, Ciscaucasia, Transbaikalia, Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region. Experts call the driest years 1891, 1911, 1921, 1931, 1936, 1946, 1954, 1957, 1967, 1971 and 2010. Most often, the Middle and Lower Volga regions and the Ural River basin suffer from drought, and as a result of drought, Russia loses up to 24 million tons of grain.

What can help reduce desertification: — Reforestation and reforestation. — Water management — economical use, reuse of purified water, rainwater harvesting, desalination or direct use of seawater for salt-tolerant plants. — Soil consolidation through the use of windproof plantings and special sand barriers. — Soil enrichment and fertilization. — A method of natural land regeneration (farmer managed natural regeneration), which consists in the systematic restoration of trees and shrubs from stumps, roots and seeds.

Every year, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is dedicated to a specific theme. Over the years, they were the following words: «Beauty of deserts — the problem of desertification», « Desertification and climate change — a single global problem», «Preservation of land and water resources = Protection of our common future», «Improving the quality of life through increasing soil fertility», «Don't let our future dry», «There is no free food. Invest in soil health», «Earth has value — invest in it», «Comprehensive cooperation to prevent land degradation», «Food. Feed. Fiber», «Restoration. Earth. Economic recovery», «Let's overcome drought through joint efforts», «Eee land, its rights» and others.



• Infographics – poster «June 17 – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought» • Story «Why is the desert coming?»

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