17 June 2015: The global observance event for the 2015 World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD), which took place in Milan, Italy, on 17 June as part of the ongoing UN EXPO Milano, featured high-level speakers, visual and verbal testimonies from community representatives and well-known personalities, and a live music show by the Senegalese band, Titi & Baribagass. The celebrations recognized the 2015 winners of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) ‘Land for Life Award’ and international short-writing and cartoon contests, as well as 34 new National Drylands Champions from Brazil and Portugal.

Explaining the origin of the 2015 WDCD slogan ‘No such thing as a free lunch: Invest in Healthy Soils,’ UNCCD Executive Secretary Monique Barbut emphasized the role of the global community in ensuring that farmers earn enough from what they produce to invest back into the land and keep it fertile. Pohamba Shifeta, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, highlighted efforts made during his country’s two-year Presidency of the eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UNCCD to provide “political support and momentum” to strengthen the Convention’s implementation at the international, regional and national levels.

Pia Bucella, Director, Natural Capital, Directorate-General for the Environment at the European Commission, stressed the importance of acting on land degradation in Europe, noting that a quarter of all European territory is affected by soil erosion. Italian geologist and broadcaster, Mario Tozzi, highlighted the negative impacts of population growth and unsustainable land use practices, such as land sealing, and called for a “cultural” perspective in tackling the root causes of these trends.

Paola Agostini, Global Lead for Landscapes and TerraAfrica Coordinator at the World Bank, shared a series of visual images to show changes taking place through the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative. She drew attention to the Resilient Landscapes Initiative, due to be launched at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference.

The two recipients of the 2014 Land for Life Award, The Green Asia Network (GAN) and the Conservation Organization for Afghan Mountain Areas (COAM), were each awarded US$15,000. GAN was recognized for its work to promote self-reliance through a variety of economic opportunities for locals affected by desertification in Mongolia, including “eco-refugees” fleeing to urban areas. COAM was credited for its contributions to reduce pressure on vulnerable arid rangelands by promoting the use of clean cook stoves, as well as livelihood benefits for women and families. The Eritrean village of Adi-Shimhabty received a special mention for the efforts made by community members to regenerate “virtually barren land” through improved agricultural and livelihood practices.

Mohamed Aseen Nasrulla from Maldives won in the children’s category of the UNCCD’s inaugural short-writing contest for a story expressing hope that the world would understand that “land restoration can no longer wait.” The best adult entry was awarded to Yesashimwe Néhémie from Rwanda for a letter addressed to Mother Earth, in which he pledged to contribute to land restoration and encourage others to treat land with respect and care. In total, more than 230 writers from 50 countries participated in the competition, which aimed to increase understanding of the different relationships people around the world have with land.

In a related event, the two winners of the global press cartoon competition titled ‘The Land Makes the Climate,’ were announced during the Désertif’actions 2015 conference, which was co-organized by the Centre d’Action et de Réalisations Internationales (CARI) and the UNCCD in Montpellier, France, from 10-13 June. Oleksiy Kustovsky (Kusto) from Ukraine and Phil Ubdenstock from France, were selected as winners out of over 80 cartoons submitted by artists in 20 countries. [UNCCD Press Release on Report of Expo Milano WDCD Global Observance Event] [2014 Land for Life Winners] [2015 UNCCD Short-Story Competition Winners] [2015 UNCCD Cartoon Competition Winners] [Natural Resources Policy & Practice Story on WDCD 2015 Messages] [Natural Resources Policy & Practice Story on Preparations for Désertif’actions 2015] [Désertif’actions 2015 Website] [Brazil Dryland Champions] [Portugal Dryland Champions]