June 17 — World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

This international date was established by the UN General Assembly in 1994 and was chosen in connection with the adoption of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification on June 17 of that same year. Today, this document serves as the legal and practical foundation for measures implemented at the global level to counteract land degradation. In 1996, our homeland was one of the first to ratify this UN Convention.

In order to draw attention to this large-scale issue, which directly impacts ecological security and sustainable development, the UN General Assembly declared the period from January 2010 to December 2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification. This initiative gave a powerful impetus to the expansion of green zones, further raised ecological awareness worldwide, including in our country, and became an important incentive for implementing comprehensive measures to protect arid regions.

Currently, this date, which is dedicated to an urgent ecological theme each year, is of immense significance for ensuring the well-being of human society and food security. In recent years, massive tree planting campaigns have been carried out in our country on a regular basis within the framework of the National Forest Program. The construction of the unique Turkmen Lake "Altyn Asyr" also makes a tremendous contribution to environmental protection and the improvement of land reclamation.

Counteracting the processes of desertification and preserving ecosystems depend on the careful and conscious attitude of each and every one of us toward our native nature.