Two-thirds of the territory of Central Asia is arid lands. Due to the high vulnerability of the region to climate change, as well as growing anthropogenic factors, the problem of desertification is not only an environmental, but also an economic and social problem.
In order to raise public awareness of the need for efforts to combat desertification, in 1994 the United Nations declared June 17 to be “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought”. On this day, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted. The main purpose of it is to create a global partnership to prevent desertification and land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought in affected areas to support poverty reduction and ensure environmental sustainability.
Recognizing the transboundary nature of the desertification problem, the Central Asian countries, in addition to national programmes, have adopted regional strategies, namely:
- Regional Strategy for Drought Risk Management and Mitigation in Central Asia for 2021-2030
- Regional Mid-term Strategy for Sand and Dust Storms Management in Central Asia for 2021-2030.
Both strategies have been developed with the support of the UNCCD Secretariat and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)
Additional information:
Ludmila Kiktenko
Environmental Management Programme Manager
Email: lkiktenko@carececo.org