Desertification and Drought Day 2026

Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.

This year’s theme of Desertification and Drought Day, "Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.”, places a spotlight on the essential role of the world’s rangelands in sustaining climate resilience, food and water security, biodiversity, and the cultural identity of pastoralist and Indigenous communities.

Rangelands cover about half of the world’s land surface, yet they remain among the most undervalued and threatened ecosystems. Overgrazing, vegetation loss, land conversion, climate change, land degradation, and competing land uses are placing increasing pressure on these production systems. Up to half of all rangelands are already degraded or at risk, undermining food and water security, the resilience of rural livelihoods, and the ecological balance that supports global sustainability.

The 2026 observance also coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, offering an important opportunity to elevate global awareness of the ecological and socio-economic significance of these ecosystems. It reinforces the need to value the services they provide, respect the communities who have managed them for generations, and restore degraded rangelands while avoiding further degradation, to secure their long‑term productivity and contribution to sustainable development.

A Global Call to Action: Recognize. Respect. Restore.

Desertification and Drought Day 2026 invites countries, organizations, and communities to come together around three shared commitments:

Recognize

Acknowledge the economic, ecological and cultural contributions of rangelands, including their role in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, carbon storage, and water regulation, all of which underpin resilient agrifood systems.

Respect

Reinforce the knowledge, practices and governance systems of pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Their mobility, traditional stewardship and ecological understanding are essential for maintaining healthy landscapes, and their legitimate tenure rights must be safeguarded against threats and infringements.

Restore

Invest in sustainable land, soil and water management, improved governance, stronger drought preparedness, and community‑led restoration efforts to revive degraded rangelands and safeguard livelihoods.

FAO in action

Guided by its Conceptual Framework for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management, FAO works to turn global strategies and commitments into practical solutions on the ground, supporting countries in restoring ecosystems and advancing sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

FAO supports countries in restoring degraded agricultural lands – croplands and pasturelands- through targeted actions that combine policy support, data and information, technical innovation and capacity development.

Driving policy change and global action on the ground

FAO is advancing land restoration at scale by supporting policy coordination and international processes. Through initiatives such as the Central American Dry Corridor, and Africa’s Great Green Wall FAO is helping countries strengthen cross-sectoral dialogue, improve monitoring systems, provide technical guidance and mobilize sustainable financing for restoration on the ground.

At the global level, FAO has contributed to shaping key policy outcomes, including the adoption of the first-ever decision on avoiding, reducing and reversing land and soil degradation of agricultural lands under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (Decision 19/COP.16), and is supporting the development of guidance for its implementation.

Leveraging data, science and innovation

FAO generates and shares high-quality data and knowledge to inform decision-making and accelerate land and soil restoration efforts. Key actions include:

advancing soil mapping and digital tools through the SoilFER programme and the Global Soil Partnership
producing global flagship reports such as The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW)
strengthening the use of remote sensing, data and cloud-based systems to monitor land degradation and guide sustainable land management and restoration interventions
promoting sustainable soil management through the Recarbonization of Agricultural Soils (RECSOIL) initiative, including collaboration with the Pastoralism and Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change in Eastern Africa (PLACE) programme to improve soil carbon stocks and soil health in pastoralist systems.

Strengthening national capacities and governance

FAO supports countries in translating global commitments into action by strengthening national capacities, governance systems and legal frameworks. This includes:

supporting countries in reporting and monitoring land degradation neutrality targets
improving land tenure governance and promoting gender-equal access to land
promoting legal frameworks and policies that recognize communal land rights and protect pastoral mobility routes as essential infrastructure for sustainable rangeland management
providing normative guidance, including legal and policy tools to advance sustainable land management and restoration, the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, the International Code of Conduct for the sustainable use and management of fertilizers and the Improving governance of pastoral lands.
empowering national institutions to lead and coordinate drought preparedness and management efforts by aligning policies and investments, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration and developing integrated plans that reflect national development priorities
supporting countries in accessing financing to advance the restoration of agricultural land and build drought resilience.

Held every year on 17 June, Desertification and Drought Day serves as the United Nations’ global platform to increase awareness of land degradation and drought, and to mobilize action for the protection and restoration of healthy land and soil.