UN Highlights Impact of Land Degradation

(MENAFN) The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is commemorated on Tuesday, serving as a stark warning that each year, an estimated 1 million square kilometers of fertile land deteriorate due to desertification.

Presently, close to 40 percent of the planet’s land area is categorized as degraded.

Established in 1994 by the United Nations, June 17 has been officially recognized as “Desertification and Drought Day.”

The purpose of this annual observance is to increase public understanding and drive collective efforts to address the interconnected crises of desertification, land degradation, and drought, as detailed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The 2025 edition of the event is centered on the theme “Restore the land; Unlock the opportunities.”

This theme aims to emphasize the importance of land recovery and aims to initiate a restoration-driven economy worth trillions of dollars by the year 2030.

At present, approximately 40 percent of Earth’s terrain is considered degraded.

This environmental decline impacts over 3 billion people directly and brings severe consequences for the global climate, ecosystems, and people’s means of survival.

The UNCCD reports that the total economic damage caused by desertification, land degradation, and drought is close to USD878 billion every year, highlighting the critical need for a coordinated international response.

Data from the UNCCD Global Mechanism reveals that stopping and reversing the trend of land degradation will demand a consistent worldwide financial commitment of USD1 billion every day from 2025 through 2030.

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