WORLD DAY TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT 2022.

Desertification along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. With the provisions of the convention adopted by the intergovernmental negotiating committee in Paris, France on 17th June 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17th as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to be observed beginning in 1995. This day was proclaimed by United Nations General Assembly resolution (A/RES/49/115) on January 30th, 1995. The theme for this year's World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2022 is: "Rising up from drought together". The day highlights the need of an early measure to avoid any disastrous consequences for humanity and the planetary ecosystems. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated each year to raise awareness of the presence of desertification and drought, highlighting methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought. The day is a unique moment to remind everyone that land degradation neutrality (LDN) is achievable. The commemoration of the day is led by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The United Nations World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought encourages the rebuilding of destroyed lands, which brings economic resilience, create jobs, raises income and increases food security. It helps biodiversity to recover. Currently, hundreds of countries have committed to restoring around 1 billion hectares of damaged lands over the next ten years. Over 75% of land on earth (without ice) has been changed by humans for our own uses. Many species on our planet are degrading, meaning there are few resources left for us or other species. Today marks a day to reverse this and to renew damaged lands.

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed to promote public awareness of the importance of degradation neutrality and how it is an achievable cause. By 2050, drought may affect over three-quarters of the world's population. An estimated 55 million people globally are directly affected by droughts every year. Since 2000, the number and duration of droughts has risen by 29%. Between 1900 and 2019, droughts impacted 2.7 billion people in the world, and caused 11.7 million deaths. More and more of us will be living in areas with extreme water shortages, including an estimated one in four children by 2040 ( source: UNICEF). Let us stand together for what is best for our environment and for our future generations

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed to raise awareness of the urgency of halting desertification and drought. It also aims to strengthen the visibility of the issue of dry land on the international environment agenda. The fight against desertification doesn't happen overnight, and numerous countries are making progress in actively seeking solutions and tackling this issue. Let us join the fight, conserve land and energy, and secure our shared future by preventing desertification and drought. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and drought, it is estimated that by 2030, about 700 million people will be at risk of being displaced by drought. There is an urgent need to address drought. Let all of us take action now and make concerted efforts to help vulnerable communities adapt to drought and reduce the estimated number of people at risk of being displaced by drought by 2030.

Globally, 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation, particularly rural communities, small holder farmers, and the very poor. The devastating effects of this will result in more people being pushed into poverty, this will exacerbate hunger, famine and malnutrition across communities. Hence there is a greater need for land conservation and preservation measures to be adopted by all community members because it is key in tackling this environmental crisis. Studies have shown that every minute, 23 hectares of arable land are lost to drought and desertification. 40% of earth's land has became permanently drier, more than three-quarters of earth's land has become permanently drier in recent decades, according to a stark new analysis. More than 1.5 billion people are affected worldwide by desertification and land degradation every year with an estimated 24 billion tons of fertile soils lost to erosion, and 12 million hectares of land degraded. (Source: UNDRR). 95% of the world's food is produced on land. However, one third of the world's agricultural lands is degraded. Engaging youth in transforming food systems and land restoration, can create 600 million jobs in the next fifteen years.

A LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBER PLANTING A TREE TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AGAINST DESERTIFICATION.

Desertification and Drought are primarily caused by human activities, with the growing global population, we must prioritize the preservation of the environment and utilize sustainable resources. Humanity's relentless production and consumption are the leading cause of desertification and land degradation. Desertification and Drought can be effectively tackled by land restoration, saving the planet from degradation and providing economic benefits to the underprivileged section of the society. Let's pledge to restore our lands for a brighter tomorrow. 

THE WAY FORWARD TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT IN AFRICA.

Africa is a growing continent, by 2050, the population is estimated to grow by nearly 1 billion. This means that more people will be reliant on land which is already grappling with the effects of degradation. To cope with this issue, the Regreening Africa initiative is leading the Generation Restoration charge to restore land across the continent. Through training and seed-growing efforts, this initiative has restored more than 350,000 hectares of land across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Somalia.

The Great Green Wall lnitiative or La Grande Muraille Verte is part of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It was launched in 2007 to combat desertification and environmental degradation in the vast sahel region of africa. The vision is to create a 'living structure' that snakes 7,800 kilometers from Senegal in the west to Djibouti in the east.

The Great Green Wall lnitiative or La Grande Muraille Verte is a project led by the African Union (AU), initially conceived as a way to combat desertification in the sahel region and hold back expansion of the sahara, by planting a wall of trees stretching across the entire sahel. It spans 7,800 kilometers in length and 15 kilometers in width across the African continent from Senegal to Djibouti.

 The initiative aims to :

- Restore 100 million hectares of degraded landscapes and sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon by 2030.

- Create 10 million green jobs by 2030 and encourage people to stay in the region rather than migrate.

- lmprove food security, revive biodiversity, provide livelihood options and increase climate resilience in the region where annual temperatures are rising faster than any where else on earth.

- Reduce the risk of drought, famine and conflict over increasingly scarce resources.

So far, it has achieved tangible results, with key target intervention countries like Senegal seeing over 18 millions trees planted and 800, 000 hectares of degraded lands restored for communities. In Niger republic, 146 million trees have been planted following scientific guidance for holistic best results.

Healthy lands and soil are essential to life on earth. Yet drought, desertification and land degradation are growing threat to our planet and humanity. Land degradation affects 40% of the world's population and disproportionately harms the most vulnerable. But its possible to restore damaged ecosystems and bring them back to life. All generations are needed to come together and help heal our planet. In our efforts to restore damaged lands, we all need to ask our world leaders to enact policies based on science to help reduce the growing threat drought, desertification and land degradation pose to our planet and all its people.

#worlddaytocombatdesertificationanddrought #desertification #drought #environmentaljustice #unepmgcy #unep #unitednations.

A BRIEF PERSONAL BACKGROUND OF  ENOBONG EKWERE (ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST) AND DEVELOPMENT EXPERT IN NIGERIA.

Enobong Ekwere is a social influencer, blogger, vlogger, climate activist, peace practitioner, SDGs advocate, grassroot social mobilizer and a global citizen. He is the program manager of children and young people living for peace (CYPLP), an organic, voluntary, youth focused and a think-tank non-governmental organization based in Kaduna state, Nigeria. A Higher National Diploma (HND) graduate of Public Administration (Upper Credit) from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria. Enobong Ekwere holds a proficiency certificate in management from the Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered (NIM) Lagos, Nigeria. He is also a graduate member of the institute (Associate member in view). He works with young people in local communities across Nigeria localizing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and SDG13, 14 and 15 in particular and positive peace frameworks in Nigeria, accelerating action online and offline, engaging duty bearers and policy makers to be accountable for it's implementation by 2030. He is a strong advocate of good governance and democracy, accountability in government, freedom of information, access to information, free press, social justice and social inclusion. As a youth advocate and a global leader who loves to see social reforms in the society, uses his personalized blog to write compelling stories on developmental and topical issues on national and global concern that shapes and transform people's lives and impact the larger society for knowledge transfer and lifelong learning. He engages in community service and volunteerism, community outreach, social mobilization and advocacy tours to hard to reach local communities in Nigeria advocating and advancing the cause of the SDGs so that no community and youth in Kaduna state and Nigeria would be left behind. CYPLP as an organization works primarily in serving vulnerable population of children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities (PWD's) youth and women in unserved, underserved, underrepresented, disadvantaged and marginalized local communities in Nigeria.

He can be reached via:

Tel/WhatsApp +2347082558952

Email: enobongekwere825@gmail.com

MY PERSONAL SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:

FACEBOOK: 

https://www.facebook.com/enobong.ekwere.372

TWITTER: 

http://www.twitter.com/Enobongekwere2

INSTAGRAM: 

http://www.instagram/enobongekwere825

LINKEDIN:    

https://www.linkedin.com/in/enobong-ekwere-3271b116b

MY ORGANIZATION'S SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:

FACEBOOK: 

https://www.facebook.com/cyplp.net.ng/

TWITTER: 

http://www.twitter.com/youngpeoplefor/

INSTAGRAM: 

http://www.instagram.com/cyplp/

WEBSITE: 

www.cyplp.net.ng

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER - INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (IHRC) GENEVA, SWITZERLAND. 2023.