World Day to combat Desertification and Drought 2026; June 17th.

FORUM: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.” World Day to combat Desertification and Drought 2026. Rangelands cover more than half of the world’s land surface yet remain among the most undervalued ecosystems. They face increasing pressures from climate change, land degradation and competing land uses. Up to half of all rangelands are already degraded or at risk, jeopardizing food and water security, climate resilience and rural livelihoods. Coinciding with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the 2026 global observance will draw attention to the need to recognize and value rangelands for the critical functions they provide, respect the traditional stewards who have cared for them for generations and restore degraded landscapes to secure livelihoods and ecosystem services.

 Through Desertification and Drought Day 2026, countries and communities are invited to:

Recognize rangelands’ economic contribution to national and regional economies, their role in sustaining biodiversity and wildlife and the multiple benefits they provide, from regulating water cycles to storing carbon

Respect pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, whose mobility, customary governance systems and ecological knowledge are essential to maintaining the health and productivity of these landscapes

Restore rangelands by investing in sustainable land and water management, strengthening governance, improving drought preparedness and supporting community-led restoration efforts

Marked every year on June 17th, the Desertification and Drought Day is the United Nations’ global moment to raise awareness of land degradation and drought and to mobilize action to protect and restore healthy land. Desertification and Drought Day 2026 in Kenya will be the first time in nearly a decade that the African continent hosts the global observance.

On Desertification and Drought Day, we call on the world to recognize and protect rangelands, the vast ecosystems covering half the Earth's land surface and sustaining over two billion people. Up to 50 per cent of the world's rangelands are now degraded or at risk, threatening food systems, livelihoods, biodiversity, and climate stability. This year also marks the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026) — a global opportunity to support the pastoralists and Indigenous Peoples whose traditional knowledge is essential to safeguarding these landscapes. The call for investment in restoration and water security, sustainable employment for rural communities, and international cooperation across borders. To protect our future, we must protect the land. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #RestoringLand, #RestoringHope, #IYRP2026, #UNCCDCOP17.

EVENTS: On June 17th, Kenya hosts the global observance of Desertification and Drought Day 2026 in partnership with UNCCD under the theme “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.” The global observance will highlight the central role of the world’s rangelands in climate resilience, food and water security, biodiversity conservation and the cultural identity of pastoralist and Indigenous communities. Kenya’s leadership reflects its ongoing efforts to address land degradation, strengthen drought resilience and support communities living in dryland and rangeland areas. The Registration for the Global Observance, the Agenda Programme for June 17 and the Information note for participants.

Statement of the United Nations, Secretary-General's for Desertification and Drought Day 2026.

Rangelands are vast open spaces found in every climate on every continent. They cover half the hear land surface supplying vital food and fibers and sustaining over two billion people. They also play a crucial role as wildlife habitats and carbon sinks. Yet up to 50% of the world's rangelands are now degraded or at risk. These conditions threaten the global food system, harm local livelihoods, reduce biodiversity, and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

On this world day of combat desertification and drought, we are issuing an urgent call to recognize and respect the world's rangelands.

This means investing in restoration, especially water security, empowering rural communities through sustainable employment and forging solutions across borders through international cooperation.

This year also marks the international year of rangelands and pastoralists. A chance to support the pastoralists and indigenous peoples whose traditional knowledge can help safeguard those ecosystems.

To protect our future, we must protect the land. Together, let us ensure that French lands everywhere thrive for generations to come.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The UNCCD Executive Secretary Yasmine Fouad said: “We thank the Government of Kenya for hosting Desertification and Drought Day 2026 and for shining a spotlight on the world’s rangelands. These landscapes are vital for food, water, biodiversity and climate resilience. Kenya’s leadership comes at a crucial moment, as rangelands face increasing pressure worldwide. By recognising their value, respecting their traditional stewards and restoring rangelands back to health, we can strengthen the livelihoods of two billion people.”

COMMUNICATION MATERIALS: Get the poster!

Other Campaign materials.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2021; June 17th

 FORUM: Restoration. Land. Recovery - We build back better with healthy land. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2021.

The observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought; 17 June will focus on turning degraded land into healthy land. Restoring degraded land brings economic resilience, creates jobs, raises incomes and increases food security. It helps biodiversity to recover. It locks away the atmospheric carbon warming the Earth, slowing climate change. It can also lessen the impacts of climate change and underpin a #greenrecovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

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EVENTS 17 june is World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2021; 

UN officials stress importance of healthy soils to sustainable development

 

Photo: WFP/Phil Behan

Photo: WFP/Phil Behan

17 June 2012 – Top United Nations officials have called for greater efforts to preserve the soils on which human subsistence depends and to halt and reverse land degradation.

“Without healthy soil, life on Earth is unsustainable,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his message for the World Day to Combat Desertification, which is observed annually on 17 June and falls this year on the eve of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

“Global efforts to halt and reverse land degradation are integral to creating the future we want,” Mr. Ban said. “Sustainable land use is a prerequisite for lifting billions from poverty, enabling food and nutrition security, and safeguarding water supplies. It is a cornerstone of sustainable development.”

The upcoming sustainable development conference, to be held from 20 to 22 June in Rio de Janeiro, follows on from the Earth Summit held in the same city in 1992, during which desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development.

Over 100 heads of State and government, along with thousands of parliamentarians, mayors, UN officials, chief executive officers and civil society leaders will gather at “Rio+20” to shape new policies to promote prosperity, reduce poverty and advance social equity and environmental protection.

“Rio+20 is our opportunity to showcase the many smart and effective land management systems and options that exist or are in the pipeline,” said Mr. Ban, calling on countries to ensure that a commitment to sustainable land management features prominently in the meeting's outcome.

Speaking to reporters in Rio yesterday, Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), called on countries to reiterate their commitment at the conference to combat desertification and achieve zero net land degradation by 2030.


“Efforts to combat desertification by fostering sustainable land management practices have potential co-benefits for climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use through protecting and restoring the productive potential in drylands,” he stated.


While only three per cent of the Earth is fertile land, 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil are lost every year, Mr. Gnacadja said, making it more essential to focus on policies that will help regenerate the soil.

In a separate message to mark the Day, Mr. Gnacadja noted that, as the global population is growing, competing claims on this finite resource are sharply increasing.


By 2030, the demand for food is expected to grow by 50 per cent and for energy and water for 45 and 30 per cent respectively. The demand for food alone is likely to claim an additional 120 million hectares of productive land – an area equal to the size of South Africa. Unless degraded land is rehabilitated, forests and other lands will have to make way for the required food production.

Mr. Gnacadja said world leaders at Rio+20 need to adopt a stand-alone goal on sustainable land use for all and by all. “To achieve this goal, we need to avoid land degradation in the non-degraded areas and restore soil fertility in the already degraded lands. We also need to avoid deforestation and adopt drought preparedness policies in all drought-prone countries and regions.”


He added that governments should introduce sustainable land-use into their policies, make it their priority and set up national targets to halt land degradation. Businesses should invest in practices that increase efficiency in land-use. Scientists, media and civil society should help spread the word that this goal is crucial.

“Together, we can make this paradigm shift,” said the Executive Secretary.

As part of the events in Rio to mark the Day, the winners of the Land for Life Award will be announced today by the reigning Miss Universe 2011, Leila Lopes, who is also the UNCCD Drylands Ambassador. The award, with a total prize fund of $100,000, recognizes innovations from around the world that show tangible evidence of combating land degradation, but need scaling up.

News Tracker: past stories on this issue

UN Drylands Ambassador calls for greater efforts to fight desertification