30 years of UN Land Convention

Current Context : 17 June 2024 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Bonn-based United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

ABOUT UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD)

• It was adopted in 1994 and it is the first and only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification.
• Members:  There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.
• Focused areas: It addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
• Status of India: India became a signatory to UNCCD on 14th October 1994 and ratified it on 17th December 1996.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal Ministry in the Government of India for the UNCCD, and Desertification Cell is the nodal point within the Ministry to co-ordinate all issues pertaining to the Convention.