The United Nations General Assembly in 1994 (General Assembly Resolution A/RES/49/115), declared June 17 as the “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” to promote public awareness of the issue, and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification. Ever since the declaration referred to above, Country Parties to the Convention, including Guyana, have been observing June 17 as a day of great significance with dissemination of important messages to mark the occasion. The World Day to Combat Desertification is a unique occasion to remind everybody that desertification can be effectively tackled, that solutions are possible, and that key tools to this aim lay in strengthened community participation and co-operation at all levels.
Guyana ratified the UNCCD on September 24, 1997 and in 2006, developed a National Action Plan (NAP) which provided a “guiding framework for all actions to promote Sustainable Land Management and Combat Land Degradation”. Guyana, in March 2016, with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implementation assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), successfully prepared an Aligned Nation Action Plan to the UNCCD Ten- Year Strategy (2008-2018). The overarching goal of the Aligned NAP is to facilitate strengthening and mainstreaming of land degradation issues into national policy and planning, as well as, be useful in accessing funds/ budgetary support for priority actions and future projects identified within the document” To date, Guyana has met all its obligations under UNCCD
In the Message from the Executive Secretary, Mrs. Monique Barbut, of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Slogan adopted this year by the Convention is: “Protect Earth, Restore Land, Engage People” This slogan essentially calls for solidarity among Country Parties to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). “There is no greater issue than land in the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals that touches everyone. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear and the houses in which we live,-all stem from land resources. In order to leave no one behind, as proclaimed in the new Sustainable Development Goals, achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), needs to be in the forefront to meet our requirements and develop sustainability.”
It is important to note that, “Land Degradation is the reduction or loss of land productivity and quality”. The causes of land degradation are:

• Improper Farming Practices.
• Population Pressure.
• Improper Mining Practices
• Salt Water Intrusion.
• Natural Occurrences (e.g. Heavy Rainfall, Wild Fires and Drought).
• Deforestation.

The impacts of Land Degradation are Severe! “When land is degraded, livelihoods, habitats, population health, and biodiversity are threatened” To ameliorate these impacts, it is important to adopt a Land Degradation Neutrality Programme
Essentially, Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) focuses on two components, namely 1. Sustainable Land Management, and 2. Restoration of Degraded Lands. According to World Business Council for Sustainable Development in the article: Land Degradation Neutrality-A Business Perspective, “Land that is managed sustainably is an important asset for economic growth and social prosperity. However, with one-fourth of the world’s usable land being degraded, resulting in an economic loss of around US$40 billion every year, land degradation is a major challenge facing the world today”
Guyana, in its efforts to actively pursue Land Degradation Neutrality, has indicated its willingness to participate in the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Programme organized by the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Guyana is also due to be represented at a Workshop to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which will focus on LDN Target Setting , as a major step in pursuing the LDN Initiative
Once the LDN targets are set, which will be on a voluntary basis, Guyana will be well on its way to pursuing the principles of sustainable land management and land restoration. The Programme which will be designed for achievement of the Targets will have to be efficiently and effectively implemented and carefully monitored
On this the World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD), we wish to call on all land users to adopt the principles of Land Degradation Neutrality and thus contribute to the achievement of Target 15.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

(Contributed by Ministry of the Presidency)