Solemn declaration on the occasion of the World Day to combat desertification and drought, 17 June 2025

ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS)

Solemn declaration on the occasion of the World Day to combat desertification and drought, 17 June 2025

“Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities”.

1. On 17 June 2025, the ECOWAS Commission joins all the nations and organisations of the world to commemorate World Day to Combat Desertification, under the theme “Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities”.
2. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), today an estimated 65% of productive land in Africa is degraded, while desertification affects 45% of lands. Land degradation and drought are undermining the livelihoods of millions of people and exacerbating food crises, putting up to 50 million people at risk of food insecurity in the Sahel by 2024, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).
3. The day’s theme, “Restore the Land, Unlock the Opportunities”, is a call to all of us to restore degraded land in order to preserve natural reserves and enhance ecosystem services. Fertile land improves social cohesion and reduces the risk of conflict, urban and climate migration.
4. We recognise and welcome the efforts and significant progress made through ongoing initiatives such as the Great Green Wall (GGW), which aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, with 20 million hectares already restored by 2023. In addition, the development of traditional and innovative techniques such as Zaï, fallow land and intelligent irrigation should be promoted to improve the resilience of local communities in the face of drought.
5. In order to support all these initiatives, we are committed to strengthening regional policy by updating the Sub-Regional Action Plan to Combat Desertification (PRASR-LCD), incorporating the land neutrality recommended by UNCCD, and harmonising national legislation to promote agro-ecology and the responsible use of natural resources.
6. We urge all stakeholders, in particular governments, technical and financial partners, civil society and the private sector, to appreciate fully the negative impacts of desertification and drought on land degradation, to step up awareness-raising campaigns and to invest in ecological projects to restore degraded land, reforestation and sustainable agroforestry.
7. On this symbolic day, ECOWAS is reaffirming its commitment to a West Africa where “every tree preserved, every tree planted, every piece of land restored, is a victory against desertification and drought”.

Done in Abuja, this 17th day of June 2025

For ECOWAS,

Mrs Massandjé Touré-Litsé

Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture