Desertification and Drought Day is celebrated every year on June 17. Launched by the United Nations in 1994, this awareness-raising day aims to highlight the problems associated with desertification, land degradation and drought, and to encourage efforts at all levels to reduce their impact on human societies and biodiversity.
Desertification is defined as a process of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.
Desertification affects 40% of the world’s arable land.
Drought is an extreme climatic phenomenon characterized by a significantly prolonged period of water shortage, which has a major impact on fauna, flora and mankind.
By 2050, 75% of the world’s population will be affected by drought and its consequences; it is estimated that 4.8 to 5.7 billion people will live in regions where water is scarce for at least one month each year, compared with 3.6 billion today. (UNCCD)
This Day aims to promote solutions for the sustainable management of land and natural resources, and to encourage concrete, integrated action to combat these phenomena. Each year, Desertification and Drought Day focuses on a specific theme, enabling efforts to be concentrated on particular issues and putting the subject back at the heart of international dialogue.
For the 2025 edition, the theme is: “Restore the land. Unlock the opportunities”.
Land restoration remains a major issue in the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which aims to restore 1.5 billion degraded lands worldwide and, in this respect, highlights the economic benefits that restoration actions can bring.
To mark the day on June 17, a variety of events are being organized by countries and civil society organizations in different regions of the world. As in previous years, CARI will be staging an event to mark the day.
