Such World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought has been a United Nations observance celebrated every year on 17th June. In addition, the main objectives of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought have been to highlight the process of preventing desertification. And recovering from drought and have been to increase awareness regarding the presence of drought along with desertification. Moreover, this World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated on the seventeenth of June each year to foster public consciousness of global strengths for battling drought and desertification. Such a day has been an exclusive moment in reminding everybody that land degradation neutrality has been obtainable.  

The olden periods of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought  

  • The United Nations General Assembly declared 17th June as the ‘World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought’ by its resolution A/RES/49/115 adopted in December 1994 at its forty-ninth session.
  • Realizing that both droughts and desertification have been a crucial worldwide problem, mainly in Africa, the United Nations, on the seventeenth June of 1994, adopted the introduction of the United Nations Convention towards Combat Desertification (UNCCD). 
  • From this day each year, the countries, the United Nations, and non-government organizations (NGOs) conduct events to spread awareness for fighting or combating drought and desertification. 
  •  Between 1900 and 2019, the draughts have impacted 2.7 million human beings in the world and caused 11.7 million deaths of human beings.
  • The United Nations National Assembly had declared World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to increase awareness and public support in the global society for introducing ways of strength and cooperation for fighting against drought and desertification worldwide.

The subject matter of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 

  • The theme of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2022 has been ‘drought, focusing on early action to prevent disastrous outcomes.
  • Spain has been honored to be hosting the year 2022’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which puts the worldwide spotlight upon the immediate problems of draught.
  • The droughts point toward an unstable future in the world, and water, food shortages, and wildfires caused by severe droughts have all strengthened in the present years.
  • These droughts have been caused due to the absence of rain for longer periods and are frequently fuelled by climatic changes and land degradation.

The competencies of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

  • Desertification and drought have been increasing environmental problems and have been a method of land degradation where the fertile land loses its productivity and becomes desert.
  • The key causes of desertification along with draught are deforestation, overgrazing, climatic changes, urbanization, and too much utilization of pesticides along with fertilizers.
  • Investing in land restoration creates works that could offer livelihoods in a period when millions of works have been lost and generate economic advantages.
  • The land recovery could contribute hugely towards the post-Covid-19 recovery, and a much better relationship between economic recovery and nature has emerged to be the need of the hour after the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic and global lockdown.

The balance of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

  • The main objective of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought has been to transform the deserted land into fertile, productive land.
  • This proposal would finally create food security, bring stronger economic flexibility, accelerate the development and progress of Sustainable Development Goals and fight or combat the effect of climatic changes.
  • Human beings require making better choices regarding what they drink, eat and wear to protect and restore the fertile land.
  • Suppose human beings keep consuming along with producing as general. In that case, they will eat towards the capability of the planet, Earth, to sustain life unless there is nothing left but scraps.
  • The land possesses true value, and human beings could invest in it, and it has been the role and responsibility of the people to restore the land and protect the Earth.