United Nations Radio

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the international community to recognize the security risks of letting desertification advance unchecked.

desertification

In his message on The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, he notes that desertification and land degradation affect one third of the Earth's surface.

The Secretary-General warns that this is threatening the livelihoods, well-being and development of as many as one billion people.

He points out that many of the people who are faced with long periods of drought, famine and deepening poverty are forced to flee from the land.

He notes that there are already an estimated 24 million environmentally induced migrants and that number could rise to 200 million by 2050.

This year's observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought highlights the growing threat to national and regional stability posed by desertification.

Dianne Penn, United Nations Radio.

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