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World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025, observed on 17 June, raises awareness on land restoration and tackling drought. With the theme Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities, it marks a key moment in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
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June 17, 2025
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed every year on 17 June to raise public awareness about international efforts to tackle desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD). Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, this day highlights the urgent need to protect and restore degraded land for a sustainable future. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025 holds special significance as it falls at the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025 was observed on 17 June 2025, carrying the powerful theme “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities.” This global event highlights the urgent need to restore degraded lands, address the root causes of drought and desertification, and build a sustainable land restoration economy.
With over half of the world’s GDP dependent on nature, land degradation poses a serious risk to biodiversity, food security, water supply, and climate stability. This year, the global observance will be hosted by Colombia, marking a key moment in the mid-point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).
| World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025 Overview | |
| Feature | Details |
| Observed On | 17 June 2025 |
| Day Observed Since | 1994 (Designated by UN General Assembly) |
| Organized By | United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) |
| 2025 Theme | Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities |
| Purpose | Raise awareness on combating desertification, land degradation & drought |
| Global Host Country (2025) | Colombia |
| Key Focus (2025) | Restoring 1.5 billion hectares of land and building a land restoration economy |
| Related Global Goal | Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land) |
| Main Objective | Achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030 |
| Major Initiative Highlighted | G20 Global Land Restoration Initiative, Great Green Wall, Bonn Challenge |
| India’s Key Plan | National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (2023) |
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was officially proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, following the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This day, observed annually on 17 June, was established to raise global awareness about the critical issue of land degradation and the growing impact of desertification and drought worldwide.
List Of International National Days 2025 Month-Wise List
Over the years, the observance has become a global platform for governments, civil society, scientists, and communities to unite under the shared goal of sustainable land management and restoration.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2025 Theme is “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities.” This powerful message emphasises that land restoration is not only an ecological imperative but also a gateway to sustainable jobs, food and water security, and climate resilience. With over 1.5 billion hectares of land needing restoration by 2030, the theme underlines the potential for a trillion-dollar restoration economy and global socio-economic transformation.
Desertification refers to the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas caused by various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean the literal expansion of deserts. Instead, it denotes the decline of the land’s productive capacity due to soil erosion, deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable farming.
Several factors contribute to desertification, including:
These causes of desertification trigger a vicious cycle of food insecurity, poverty, migration, and conflict.
According to the UN, up to 40% of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people globally. Every minute, the world loses the equivalent of four football fields of fertile land. This degradation fuels biodiversity loss, worsens drought conditions, raises food insecurity, and triggers forced migration and conflict.
The 2025 observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought calls attention to a critical global target: the restoration of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030, aligned with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030).
Desertification in India poses a serious threat to agriculture and rural livelihoods. As per the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India (ISRO, 2018-19), nearly 97.84 million hectares—or 29.7% of India’s total geographical area—is degraded.
Major causes in India include:
States like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Telangana are severely impacted. To combat this, India is a proud signatory of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and has taken significant strides towards mitigation.
The central initiative to combat desertification globally is the UNCCD, the only legally binding international agreement that addresses land degradation and drought. With 197 Parties, the Convention fosters cooperation between governments, the private sector, and civil society to restore land health.
India, as a Party to the UNCCD, has actively engaged through national and international pledges, including the Bonn Challenge, to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
In alignment with the UNCCD, India launched the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification (NAPCD) 2023. This strategic document outlines:
The plan also emphasises India’s enhanced target of creating a carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes CO₂ equivalent through increased forest and tree cover.
Healthy land is central to human survival:
The economic rationale for restoration is strong. However, funding remains inadequate—only $66 billion annually, with just 6% from private sectors. According to the UNCCD Global Mechanism, $1 billion per day is needed from 2025 to 2030 to meet restoration goals.
To achieve land restoration and prevent desertification, the following measures are essential:
These actions are aligned with UN SDG 15 – Life on Land, which aims to halt and reverse land degradation and combat desertification.
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought serves as a powerful reminder that the future of humanity is inseparable from the health of our land. In 2025, under the theme “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities,” the global community is called upon to accelerate efforts to restore 1.5 billion hectares of land and spark a trillion-dollar restoration economy.
By implementing comprehensive national policies like the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification, engaging with global commitments like the UNCCD, and supporting local restoration practices, we can ensure that our land remains a source of life, food, and prosperity for generations to come.
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