United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a renewed commitment to reversing land degradation and desertification.

In a message marking "World Day to Combat Desertification," the Secretary-General says the time has come for the international community to recognize that drylands and marginal lands, where nearly half of the world's poor live, are not waste land. Rather, he says, they are potential areas for agricultural intensification for both food and energy needs.

Secretary-General Ban says the theme of this year's Day, "Combating land degradation for sustainable agriculture" reminds us of the importance of land as a global heritage which no human being can live without.

He points out that land degradation affects a significant portion of the Earth's arable lands, directly impacting the well-being of people and economic development of countries.

The United Nations says desertification threatens between 30 and 40 per cent of the world's fertile land.

And says more than a billion people live in the regions concerned - two-thirds of them in Asia and Africa.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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