France’s commitment to combat desertification and drought (17 Jun. 20)

On this World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, France reaffirms its commitment to avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation worldwide.

The stakes are high: all continents are affected. 3.2 billion people currently live on land vulnerable to desertification, and 12 million more hectares are degraded every year. This phenomenon is a threat to food security, water resources, biodiversity, the climate, and the economic development of territories. The COVID-19 global public health situation is a reminder that the degradation of ecosystems on land is conducive to the emergence of infectious diseases of animal origin, which can have disastrous economic and social consequences at global level.

The protection of ecosystems on land is therefore a priority. France is renewing its strategic framework for international action to combat land degradation and desertification. Through four action priorities and 12 objectives, it seeks to foster and develop scientific knowledge and traditional skills in order to co-construct the most suitable, effective strategies alongside stakeholders from all sectors concerned, making use of all sources of funding, in order ultimately to facilitate and step up the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.