The Desertification and Drought Day (DDD), formerly known as World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD), is being observed every year on 17 June as declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1995.

Being one of the Country Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Philippines continually joins and supports this observance by holding relevant activities and information campaigns that will contribute in generating wider public awareness and knowledge about land degradation and drought, as well as, on the actions to stop this serious environmental problem.

The increase in population is accompanied by increasing requirements for food, clothing, and settlements. This growing demand prompted us to produce more that subsequently leads in the immense and unsustainable use of the land for cultivation and agriculture. Meanwhile, land is also being challenged by other necessary human demand in the form of infrastructure development and urbanization. These scenarios brought rapid changes affecting the availability of healthy and productive lands.

For this reason , the Desertification and Drought Day 2020 seeks to highlight how much of what people eat and wear comes from food and fibre, which comes from the land that supports all life (UNCCD, 2020).

Accordingly, our consumption affects our land resources utilization. Indeed, with changes in consumer and corporate behaviour, and the adoption of more efficient land use planning and more sustainable land management practices, we will have enough land to meet the demand for essentials and for a wider array of goods and services (UNCCD, 2020).

In line with this year’s observance, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), as the UNCCD Philippine Focal Point, is encouraging you or your office to be part of the awareness raising campaign by posting the DDD logo and theme in your official website page and/or social media account.

The design poster template is available here.

For more information and other IEC campaign materials, you may visit the UNCCD official website (www.unccd.int).