Events around the world 2023

Planned activities include a statement by the minister, production and distribution of promotion materials; validation of the Hadjer-Lamis Provincial Action Program to Combat Desertification (PAP/LCD) and planting of seedlings; field trip to Milezi central nursery honoring female plant producers combined with a maintenance project and large-scale tree planting, a soccer match between N'Djaména's two leading women's teams and interactive radio and TV interviews and debates on the day's theme "Her Land. Her Rights."

The National Environment Management Agency is planning a range of activities in Kitui County on 17 June that will focus on raising awareness on the key role the importance of women's land rights and securing ownership of land in the fight against desertification. The activities will include a guided panel discussion, a village-wide dialogue, a media campaign through local radio stations, a survey on the participation of women in sustainable land management and resource conservation under different land tenure systems, a display of water-harvesting technologies, an inventory of drought-tolerant crop varieties, community donations of water-harvesting devices, drought resilient plants and farm animals.

UNCCD Regional Liaison Office (RLO) Africa will host a hybrid roundtable on 16 June to withof key partners such as the African Union, regional commissions (IGAD, ECOWAS, SADC, ECAC), UNECA, UNWOMEN, FAO, IFAD, ICESCO, the network of women's agricultural and commercial cooperatives in Africa as well as the diplomatic community accredited in Morocco. Information stands of women's cooperatives will be featured at the event. One of the key moments highlight of the national celebration of the Desertification and Drought Day will be sSigning of an MoU with France and Canada to support women’s participation in agricultural and forestry projects.

Under the theme "Her Land, Her Rights: Women's Roles in Land and Environmental Management," events in several provinces emphasized equal access for women to land resources and their active involvement in land management to achieve sustainable development goals, counter desertification and drought, and restore degraded soil. An exhibition showcasing sustainable land management models, livestock breed improvement for soil and water conservation, and study visits to exemplary land management practices invited participants from various sectors, including government agencies, private sector, social organizations, community leaders, farmers, volunteer soil doctors and the general public.

Plans to celebrate Desertification and Drought Day 2023 include a digital info display at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; tree planting at a university campus in the Northeast and a discussion on "Her land, her rights" broadcast on national television.

Symposium on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program

NFGA together with provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, is organizing diverse promotion events under the international theme "Her Land, Her Rights" and the national theme "Combat Desertification Scientifically, With You, With Me, With Her." Campaign websites and videos will emphasize the important role of desertification prevention and control in promoting rural revitalization, maintaining national ecological security and accelerating new energy development in desertified areas.
National event with 300 participants will take place in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province in China to unveil an Initiative to Jointly Prevent and Control Sandstorm Sources, and launch the Desertification Prevention and Control Fund under China Green Carbon Foundation. The ceremony will include a screening of the documentary '30 Years of Sand Control and Sand Industry in China, followed by keynote speeches, academic panels and field trips focusing on desert carbon sequestration, sand and dust control anddesertification-combating technologies.

To celebrate the 2023 Desertification and Drought Day, the Korea Forest Service will organize various commemorative events in partnership with the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK. Business and NGOs will also join the event which will include an observance ceremony, a poster competition, and an English speech contest for future generations. All these events will highlight the importance of combating desertification and planting trees in response to the climate crisis. A number of events to support global reforestation campaign called “Plant Our Planet” will also take place.

An event to commemorate the Desertification and Drought Day 2023 highlighting the Kingdom’s efforts to combat desertification and the importance of improving degraded land by engaging women and local communities.

The main event "Women. Their lands. Their rights: Gender equality and the objectives of land restoration" will take place on June 16 from 09: am to 12:30 pm, (Venezuela time) at the Waraira Repano Hall of the Universidad Popular del Ambiente Fruto Vivas, 6th floor, MINEC headquarters, south tower of the Simón Bolívar Center, El Silencio, Caracas; with the virtual option through the link Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87550273028?pwd=eWJmZmNvMmVneGQzb0oyT1VBVWtnZz09. Meeting ID: 875 5027 3028 Access code: 557804
Activities across the country will include nature walks, reforestation days, inter-institutional talks in the communities, with the participation of the "Youth Brigade Against Climate Change" and the "Mission Tree"

Environmental awareness activities throughout the month of June will include a lecture on xerophyte gardens in the fight against desertification, climate change mitigation and tecosystem restoration; a training and donation of a mill and a lab for the production of protein-rich flour from the fruits of native trees ; a training and delivery of a solar dehydrator for the preservation of fruits and vegetables for drought resilience; activities for ecological restoration of the Xerophytic Forest damaged by fire; planting native species through spreading ecological bolls containing seeds of native species, establishment of agroforestry systems and nurseries for Anative trees. Teachers and students from local schools and the whole community will take an active part in DDD activities..

The webinar will highlight issues of women's access to land tenure in the Caribbean to jump-start a regional discourse on women's and youth involvement in agriculture and land restoration, focusing on innovative ways of addressing land degradation within the context of Caribbean SIDS, climate change, food security, soil fertility and drought resilience. PISLM will share its experience implementing GEF-funded sustainable land management projects in in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia, in collaboration with UNEP, UNFAO and University of the West Indies, St. Augustine in Trinidad. The focus of these projects is to improve food security through implementation of large-scale innovative farming mechanisms that reduce reliance of imported foods and processed products, promoting reliable access to fresh and healthier foods.

Mexico: On 17 June, RLO LAC is organizing a Desertification and Drought Day event in Guadalajara chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, with 150 in-person guests and a live stream via virtual platforms. Participants will include representatives of indigenous groups, subnational governments, academia, civil society and other prominent guests. Evento conmemorativo nacional: Día Mundial contra la Desertificación y la Sequía 2023 - “Mujer. Su Tierra. Sus derechos”

Turkiye is planning a nationwide awareness raising social media campaign to focus attention on the female farmers and forestry villagers displaced or otherwise affected by the consequences of the earthquake on the 6 February 2023.

A virtual event will provide an opportunity for the participants to strengthen their capacities in combating desertification, land degradation and drought through sharing knowledge and best practices on women’s role in land-related issues and sustainable land management. The event will include a scientific panel and presentations from the country parties of the region.

An international event for academic research and civil society representatives committed to the safeguarding of water resources and the fight against desertification and land degradation.
The first part of the event, which will take place in the Aula Magna "Barbieri" at the Department of Agricultural Sciences (Sassari) from 9:30 to 13:00, will be aimed at students, researchers, agronomists and citizens, and will concern issues related to the projects “I CARE SOIL (Citizen Science experience on soil protection), E.WA.S. (Environment and Water Solutions), VARCOR (Vermitechnology application for valorization and reuse of cocoa residues) and TERRA (Employment of eco-sustainable technologies for the re-use of organic residues in the agricultural chain).
The second part, a virtual meeting, will start at 2.00 pm in the formant of an international webinar: "Her Land. Her rights: a science-civil society dialogue on women's efforts for drought and desertification challenges”, coordinated by Mauro Centritto (IPSP-CNR Director and member of the Civil Society Organizations Panel of the UNCCD), followed by a round table, coordinated by Anna Luise (member of the Science Policy Interface of the UNCCD). Various PhD students, researchers and representatives of civil society will take part in the event.

La prima parte dell'evento, che si svolgerà presso l'Aula Magna del Museo Naturalistico Francesco Mina' Palumbo dalle 10:00 alle 13:00, sarà rivolta a studenti, ricercatori, professionisti e cittadini mentre dopo la pausa dalle 16:00 alle 18:00 con la guida del prof. Rosario Schicchi un “Bioblitz” alla scoperta della Macchia Mediterranea nel Comune di Castelbuono
More information: Event website Event Flyer

Portugal will hold a conference on “Women in agriculture and land management to fight against desertification”. The event will be hosted by the Nature Conservation, Forests and Territorial Planning, bringing together different stakeholders from the EEA grants project Mulheres Agricultoras em Territórios do Interior, women's network for nature conservation and sustainable rural development, NOVTerra Equal Rural Project, Association of Women Farmers and Rural Women of Portugal, Portuguese Association of Animal Traction, Institute of Nature Conservation and Forests. The event will include a field trip to showcase case studies.

A joint event organized by the National Focal points for UNCCD from Norther Mediterranean and Central and Eastern Europe regions together with UNEP, will focus on sharing experiences around women’s land rights and women’s participation in land restoration and drought resilience projects.

A interregional event in Belgrade will focus on exchanging best women-led practices in sustainable land management.

United States of America: Global observance of the Desertification and Drought Day 2023 on 16 June will take place in New York City.
More information: Event website

From 15:00 to 16:30, a screening of the film "A desert skiing epic" followed by a discussion offers an opportunity to discuss ways to build climate resilience and preserve water resources and ecosystem services from the perspective of sustainable communities. The film features pioneers of cross-country skiing on sand who participated in a solidarity sporting epic to find solutions to resilience and climate adaptation by learning from the peoples of the desert.

More information: Event website Event Flyer