Joint efforts needed to fight desertification

According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, more than 250 million people are directly affected by desertification. In addition, some one billion people in more than 100 countries are at risk. They include many of the world's poorest, most marginalized and politically weak.

Land degradation and desertification are a problem of global dimensions, and the situation is particularly acute in dry regions. It affects two billion people and up to 70 percent of arid and semi-arid areas worldwide.

Ten years ago it was estimated that more than 135 million people risked displacement because of severe desertification. But even in less-affected areas, people are becoming displaced as crop yields decline and precious biodiversity resources for food and agriculture are threatened. Indeed, responding to dryland degradation is a humanitarian issue.