World Day to Combat Desertification 2013

The 2013 annual World Day to Combat Desertification will focus on the slogan “Don’t let our future dry up.” The day is celebrated on 17 June, to mark the conclusion of negotiations on the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This year's theme of drought and water scarcity takes into account that 2013 is also the International Year of Water Cooperation. World Day to Combat Desertification 2013 will seek to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity in the drylands and beyond, and to call attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of the post-Rio+20 agenda and post-2015 development agenda.