The General Secretariat of the Arab League emphasized the importance of collective efforts by Arab countries to confront the phenomenon of drought and desertification, noting that Arab nations are among the most vulnerable regions in the world regarding their ecosystem, with 90% of their area classified as arid and hyper-arid. This was stated in a declaration issued by the General Secretariat today in conjunction with the celebration of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which is designated according to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 9/115 in December 1994, declaring June 17 of each year as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
The statement highlighted that this year's celebration marks the thirtieth anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the international treaty concerned with land management and drought, which is one of the three Rio Conventions. This year's celebration is held under the slogan “United for the Earth… Our Legacy. Our Future” and emphasizes the importance of mobilizing all segments of society to support sustainable land management.
The statement further clarified that combating desertification and drought is one of the key issues monitored by the General Secretariat of the Arab League through the Environment and Meteorology Affairs Management/Ttechnical Secretariat of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. This is done alongside the Arab team responsible for following up on international environmental agreements related to biodiversity and combating desertification, which meets annually to coordinate Arab positions in this area and to coordinate the work of Arab teams participating in the conferences of the United Nations conventions on biodiversity and combating desertification.
