COMBAT DESERTIFICATION & DROUGHT 2024 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The world commemorates the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, highlighting global efforts to tackle land degradation and water scarcity issues.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

• About: Every year, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated on June 17.
• Theme 2024: United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future
• Theme 2023: Her Land. Her Rights
• History: During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, desertification, loss of biodiversity, and climate change were recognized as the greatest challenges to sustainable development.

oIn 1994, the UN General Assembly established the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), a legally binding international agreement.

oIn 2007, the UN General Assembly declared the decade from 2010 to 2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the fight against Desertification.

Significance

• The theme for this year is 'United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future.'
• Growing populations and unsustainable production and consumption patterns exacerbate the demand for natural resources, leading to land degradation.
• Desertification and drought contribute to forced migration, endangering tens of millions of people annually.
• The day calls for collective action to combat desertification and drought and to restore environmental damage.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• Establishment: In 1994, effective from 1996.
• Origin:  Rio Conference's Agenda 21, 1992.
• Purpose: The sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
• Permanent Secretariat: Bonn, Germany.
• It is the driving force behind Sustainable Development Goal 15 and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN).