World Day To Combat Desertification and Drought 2023: Date, Theme, History and Significance – News18

WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT 2023: Extreme weather occurrences are becoming more prominent with each passing day. Therefore, it’s important to spread awareness of problems like drought and desertification. So, every year on June 17, the United Nations recognises it as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The day focuses on restoring the land that has been damaged, preventing desertification.

The aim is to find workable methods to stop further destruction of the ecosystem. This will increase income, foster economic resilience, and guarantee food security for the community.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2023: Theme

This year, the theme is ‘Her Land. Her Rights.’ The global focus for Desertification and Drought Day 2023 is on women’s land rights, which are critical for attaining the worldwide objectives of gender equality and land degradation neutrality. It will also contribute to the progress of several other Sustainable Development Goals. The aim is also to encourage the advancement of land rights for women and girls worldwide.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought: Theme 2023: History

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was established in 1994 as a result of a convention held at the UN General Assembly. This day was observed in 1995 for the first time. In order to combat the environmental deterioration that is being brought upon by climate change, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was created. The convention’s objective was to educate the general public on ways to stop desertification, particularly in regions that are now suffering from severe drought.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2023: Significance

Ibrahim Thiaw, the Executive Secretary of UNCCD, said, “Women are major actors in the global efforts to reduce and reverse land degradation. However, in the vast majority of countries, women have unequal and limited access to and control over land. We cannot achieve land degradation neutrality without gender equality, and we cannot exclude half the population from land management decisions because of their gender.”

The official website of the convention mentioned that despite having a significant stake in the land, women frequently lack authority over it. They confront tremendous obstacles in obtaining land rights anywhere in the world, which limits their capacity to flourish and succeed. Women are frequently the ones who suffer the most when the environment degrades, and water becomes scarce. Hence, the focus on their rights will propel governments to reform policies in the future.