Theme: "Enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere"

The World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) is observed every year on 17 June. In 2010, the Day's slogan was "Enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere".

The year 2010 was the International Year dedicated to Biodiversity. To this end, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) aimed to sensitize the public to the fact that desertification, land degradation and drought dramatically affect biodiversity resident in soil.

There is a close relationship between livelihood and ecosystem well-being, and soils that are rich in biodiversity. Healthy soils produce life, and yet soil health depends a lot on how individuals use their land. What we do to our soils determines the quality and quantity of the food we eat and how our ecosystems serve us. Our increasing ecological interdependence also means enhancing soils anywhere enhances life everywhere. The WDCD has been observed since 1995 General Assembly Resolution A/RES/49/1995 to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought, and the implementation of the UNCCD.

To request further information, such as WDCD messages from United Nations officials or press releases in additional languages, as well as past campaign, press or awareness raising materials, please contact secretariat [at] unccd.int (secretariat[at]unccd[dot]int) .