By Abbas Nazil
Kenya has been selected to host the 2026 global observance of Desertification and Drought Day, placing rangelands at the centre of international attention on land restoration and climate resilience.
The announcement was made on Friday, December 12, 2025, by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, confirming that the event will take place on June 17, 2026.
The observance will be held under the theme “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore,” reflecting growing global concern over land degradation and drought impacts.
The 2026 event will spotlight the critical role rangelands play in supporting climate resilience, ensuring food and water security, conserving biodiversity, and sustaining the cultural identity of pastoralist and Indigenous communities.
Rangelands make up more than half of the Earth’s land surface and directly support the livelihoods of about two billion people worldwide, including an estimated 500 million pastoralists.
These landscapes have been managed for generations through traditional knowledge systems that balance grazing, mobility, and ecosystem health.
Kenya’s role as host was formally announced by Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, who invited governments, partners, civil society groups, and young people to participate in the global observance.
She said hosting the event would allow Kenya to highlight drought resilience, land restoration efforts, and the communities whose lives depend on dryland ecosystems.
Dr. Barasa disclosed that global participation would reaffirm shared responsibility in protecting drylands and supporting those who depend on them for survival.
She also linked the observance to the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, calling on the world to recognize the value of these ecosystems and their stewards.
UNCCD Executive Secretary, Yasmine Fouad, welcomed Kenya’s leadership, noting that rangelands are essential for food systems, water availability, biodiversity conservation, and climate adaptation.
She warned that up to half of the world’s rangelands are already degraded, with some disappearing faster than tropical rainforests.
This degradation threatens food security, pastoralist cultures, and national economies that rely heavily on livestock and grazing systems.
Despite their importance, rangelands remain among the most undervalued ecosystems globally.
UNCCD assessments show that restoring rangelands can yield returns of up to 35 dollars for every dollar invested due to combined ecological and socio-economic benefits.
The 2026 observance will encourage countries to recognize rangelands’ economic and environmental value, respect the rights and knowledge of pastoralists and Indigenous peoples, and restore degraded lands through sustainable management.
Desertification and Drought Day is marked annually on June 17 to mobilize action against land degradation.
The 2026 event will mark the first time in nearly a decade that Africa hosts the global observance, reinforcing the continent’s role in shaping solutions to global land and drought challenges.
