16 June 2024Climate and Environment
As nearly 40 per cent of land across the planet is degraded with more acres lost every second, governments, businesses
and communities must galvanize action to reverse the damage and protect Earth, the UN chief said in a strong message for
the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked annually on 17 June.
“Every second, around four football fields of healthy land are degraded,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“The security, prosperity and health of billions of people rely on thriving lands supporting lives, livelihoods and
ecosystems, but we’re vandalising the Earth that sustains us.”
Desertification, land degradation and drought are currently among the most pressing environmental challenges.United for land
The Day’s theme is United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future, spotlighting the future of land stewardship, which is the planet’s most precious resource to ensure the stability and
prosperity of billions of people around the world.
Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95 per cent of food eaten around the world, but so much more. It clothes
and shelters people, provides jobs and livelihoods and protects communities from the worsening droughts, floods and
wildfires.
“As the focus of this year’s World Day reminds us, we must be ‘United for Land’,” he said. “Governments, businesses,
academics, communities and more must come together and act.”‘We know what we need to do’
Growing populations coupled with unsustainable production and consumption patterns fuel demand for natural resources,
putting excessive pressure on land to the point of degradation.
At the same time, desertification and drought are driving forced migration, putting tens of millions of people each year
at risk of displacement.
Of the world’s eight billion inhabitants, over one billion of young people under the age of 25 years live in developing
countries, particularly in regions directly dependent on land and natural resources for sustenance. Creating job
prospects for rural populations is a viable solution that gives young people access to eco-entrepreneurship
opportunities and at the same time to scale up best practices.
“We know what we need to do,” the UN chief said. “It’s set out clearly in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD). As we mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, the world must dramatically pick up the pace of
implementation.”
To do this, he pointed to building momentum towards UNCCD Conference of States Parties (COP16) in Riyadh and ensuring
young people are heard in the negotiations.
“Together, let’s sow the seeds for a thriving future for nature and humanity,” he said.