By Abdoul Mahdieu Savage
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The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being observed today, June 17, and it is a day of international significance in the fight against desertification and drought. The remarkable thing about this year's celebration is that it is focused solely on women. This overarching theme, "Her land. Her rights," aims to evoke the sense of urgency with which the land question must be addressed on a global scale. In numerous nations around the world, the patriarchy has deprived women of land.
The former president of Finland and current Land Ambassador for the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Tarja Halonen, recently noted that "solving gender inequalities is not just the right thing to do. If we ensure that women are fully able to use their abilities, knowledge, talents, and leadership potential, our societies are simply better off.”
The theme is a statement of social justice with the purpose of empowering women; it affirms the need for gender-responsive approaches to land tenure. Across the world, women face unique challenges when it comes to accessing and benefiting from land. The majority of women, who are already at a disadvantage, stand to lose more from land degradation. So, it is hoped that today's theme will focus minds and energise the global community to tip the scales in their favour. The Renewable News Network is committed to including women at the forefront of all of our sustainability and environmental protection efforts.
Nearly three billion people worldwide rely on land for their security, happiness, and worth. Lessening crop yields and soil fertility have a disproportionate impact on women. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) stated in a policy briefing that "women are uniquely and differently impacted due to their substantial role in land-based activities, greater vulnerability to poverty, and typically weaker legal protections and social status." The policy brief goes on to say that in places where desertification and drought have caused problems, women and girls are very vulnerable to these slow-developing dangers because they have to compete for fewer productive resources.
Despite their crucial role in protecting the planet, women and girls are "all too often excluded from participation and leadership in land resource management and restoration," which is a cruel twist of fate. According to the policy brief, women led only 12% of the 881 national environment-related ministries located in 193 different countries.
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