World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

On June 17th , 2025, as we celebrate Desertification and Drought Day , we are united by the theme ' Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities '. UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw draws attention to the vital role of land restoration in fostering peace, human dignity, and sustainable development, as well as to the crucial contributions of the private sector and communities in this process. This year's global celebrations are being hosted by Colombia, which will showcase its successful ecosystem management efforts. With land degradation threatening food security and economic stability, investing in land restoration is essential.

What’s good for land is good for people and economies. But humanity is degrading land at an alarming rate, costing the global economy nearly $880 billion every year — far more than the investments needed to tackle the problem. Droughts are forcing people from their homes and inflaming food insecurity – the number of newly displaced people is at its highest level in years. Repairing the damage we have done to our land offers huge benefits, including a great return on investment. It can reduce poverty, create jobs, safeguard water supplies, protect food production and improve land rights and incomes – especially for smallholder farmers and women. The theme of this year’s Desertification and Drought Day – “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities” – is both a statement of fact and a call to action. I urge governments, businesses, and communities to answer the call and accelerate action on our shared global commitments on sustainable land use. We must reverse degradation, and boost...

Let's commemorate this year's Desertification and Drought Day. Events around the world 2025 EVENTS in   Africa Benin, Parakou, 2025-06-17 Tree planting campaign phase 2 - organized by ONG OLA Africa The seedling planting in schools amis to combat desertification and raise awareness among pupils about the benefits of trees. The target schools are those that have no fences and few trees, so seedlings will be planted along their perimeters to add greenery and provide a sense of security. The initiative is in collaboration with the Borgou Forestry Inspectorate and forestry officers. Involving future generations is key to preserving our ecosystem. Learn about the first phase in May 2025: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Ltd1CrhWT or https://youtu.be/nKUNeax7tus More information: Event website Cape Verde, Cidade da Praia , 2025-05-16 Environmental Forum - organized by Associação para a Defesa do Ambiente e Desenvolvimento ADAD The event will bring together key stakeholders to pro...

As droughts fueled by human destruction of the environment are projected to affect three in four people by 2050, investing in sustainable land and water management is essential to… Learn more on the  Economics of drought: Investing in nature-based solutions for drought resilience .

Under the theme "Restore the land. Unlock the оpportunities," , the 2025 observance will shine a light on how restoring nature’s foundation—land—can create jobs, boost food and water security, support climate action and build economic resilience . We have the power to bring land back to life. A restored land is a land of endless opportunities. It’s time to unlock them now. This year’s Desertification and Drought Day focuses on one of the most urgent global challenges: restoring 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land and jumpstarting a trillion-dollar land restoration economy by 2030.

More than half of global GDP relies on healthy ecosystems . Yet each year, an area the size of Egypt is degraded, driving biodiversity loss , increasing drought risk and displacing communities. The ripple effects are global—from rising food prices to instability and migration. But restoring land flips the script. Every dollar invested in restoration generates USD7 to USD30 in returns. Reviving land restores productivity , strengthens water cycles and supports millions of rural livelihoods. “Land degradation and drought are major disruptors of our economy, stability, food production, water and quality of life,” said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. “Land restoration is our chance to reverse these threats and create new possibilities.”

As we reach the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), action is more urgent than ever . To meet global goals, 1.5 billion hectares must be restored by 2030 . So far, 1 billion hectares have been pledged through initiatives like the G20 Global Land Restoration Initiative and the Great Green Wall Initiative . Now is the time to turn ambition into action.

The financial case is clear, but action must follow. According to UNCCD Global Mechanism , the world needs to invest USD1 billion every day between 2025 and 2030 to stop and reverse land degradation. Current investments fall short at USD66 billion annually, with only 6% coming from the private sector. We need to scale up ambition and investment by both governments and businesses. This means unlocking new finance, creating decent jobs, embracing innovation and making the most of traditional knowledge.

Desertification and Drought Day , designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, is observed annually on June 17th . It raises awareness and promotes solutions to desertification, land degradation and drought.  

Droughts are becoming more severe and widespread across the globe. But it's not just changing rainfall patterns that are to blame. The atmosphere is also getting thirstier, according to a new study. In a new study  published in Nature , my colleagues and I show that this rising "atmospheric thirst" - also known as atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) - is responsible for about 40% of the increase in drought severity over the last four decades (1981-2022). Imagine rainfall as income and AED as spending. Even if your income (rainfall) stays the same, your balance goes into deficit if your spending (AED) increases. That's exactly what's happening with drought: the atmosphere is demanding more water than the land can afford to lose. As the planet warms, this demand grows - drawing more moisture from soils, rivers, lakes, and even plants. With this growing thirst, droughts are getting more severe even where rain hasn't significantly declined. The process of AED d...

Exceeding 1.5 °C warming leads to irreversible glacier loss and water flow changes for centuries, increasing sea level rise and reducing runoff in key basins.  Irreversible glacier change and trough water for centuries after overshooting 1.5 °C .

This study analyzed CDHWs exposure in both rural and urban populations and found that the number of people chronically exposed to CDHWs has shown a clear upward trend over time. The findings reveal a significant upward trend in global terrestrial CDHWs, accompanied by consistent spatiotemporal patterns. However, the occurrence of CDHWs identified using SPEI is notably higher than that identified using scPDSI, highlighting differences arising from the indices' formulations and sensitivities to climatic variables. The SPEI incorporates both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) , rendering it more responsive to temperature fluctuations , especially in warmer climates ISBN/ISSN/DOI