Bangkok, June 17, 2025 - As the global community marks Desertification and Drought Day 2025, Asia stands at a crossroads. With its massive populations, rapid urbanization, and climate-vulnerable economies, the region is among the most vulnerable to the rising risks of desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD). Yet it also holds the highest potential to lead the way towards land restoration and climate resilience.

This year's international theme, "Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities”, echoes benefits linked to land restoration - healthy land is the foundation of economic growth, food and water security, and social stability.

Every minute, the equivalent of four football pitches of fertile land is lost to degradation. The impacts are realized in increased food prices, displacement, and livelihood loss. More than half of the world's GDP is dependent on nature, but we are losing this natural capital at an alarming rate.

Across Asia, deteriorated land, unsustainable agriculture, deforestation, and longer droughts are accelerating degradation. From Central Asia's shrinking river basins to South and Southeast Asia's rising monsoon unpredictability, droughts are becoming more frequent, unpredictable, and catastrophic, affecting millions of farmers, rural communities, and national economies.

Rice field of Le Thi Tan in Huong Khe District, Ha Tinh Province (Source: Saigon News dated June 19th, 2024)

ADPC's Role in Drought Risk Management

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) has been at the forefront of confronting drought risks and land degradation in Asia for over three decades. Recognizing that drought is not a natural phenomenon but a risk compounded by poor land and water management, ADPC has advocated for an integrated science-policy-practice agenda for resilience.

Working closely with national governments, regional bodies, and international partners, ADPC has advanced:

• Impact-based drought forecasting
  Strengthened early warning capabilities by developing systems that move beyond basic weather forecasts to accurately predict potential impacts on agriculture, water resources, and vulnerable communities, enabling faster, more targeted responses and risk-informed decision-making.
• Drought risk management and mitigation strategy
  Regional Drought Risk Management and Mitigation Strategy for South Asia was successfully developed through a series of consultative workshops attended by 70 participants, ensuring a comprehensive and regionally owned approach. The strategy was developed with the support of UNCCD and strengthens the mitigation of drought risks and sectoral adaptation. Read more: https://www.adpc.net/igo/category/ID2000/doc/2024-pTKw40-ADPC-RDRMMS_SA.pdf
• Drought Policy and Investment Planning
  With support from FAO, the development of national drought portfolios to identify and advance potential financial instruments and mechanisms was facilitated, enabling countries to mitigate drought risks and promote sustainable land and water management through strategic, evidence-based investment planning.
• Anticipatory Actions
  With support from WFP, assisted in developing feasibility studies, readiness assessments, and gaps and needs analyses, laying a strong foundation for the development of future Anticipatory Action Plans (AAPs) and enhancing countries' capacity to implement proactive, risk-informed interventions. Read more: https://www.wfp.org/publications/10-years-action-anticipatory-action-year-focus-2024
• Decision support tools
  The web-based system, such as Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW), was developed to enhance regional drought preparedness and response by integrating satellite data, field reports, and seasonal climate forecasts to support timely decision-making in transboundary river basins. SEADW is actively used by Vietnam and Laos and adopted regionally by the Mekong River Commission as a key tool for monitoring and planning. Through targeted training and capacity-building efforts, over 120 professionals at both regional and national levels have been equipped to utilize the system effectively, strengthening institutional resilience to drought across Southeast Asia. Check out the tool: https://seadw-servir.adpc.net/
• Capacity building
  Empowered NMHSs, ministries of agriculture, and disaster management authorities in the region by building their technical and institutional capacities to develop and implement drought preparedness plans and protocols, enabling more effective, timely, and coordinated responses to drought risks.

  "Desertification and Drought are no longer future challenges; they are realities of the present time that threaten livelihoods, food security, and regional stability. On this World Desertification and Drought Day 2025, we reaffirm ADPC’s commitment to restoring land and unlocking opportunities through impact-based drought forecasting, regional and national Drought Risk Management strategies, and innovations developed with geospatial data such as the Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW). Through enhanced collaboration with our partners, we can build resilient communities across Asia and the Pacific by turning drought risks into pathways for sustainable growth," emphasized Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Executive Director, ADPC.

ADPC's work in the region has shown that drought risk reduction is not only feasible but it is a key to sustainable development and disaster loss reduction. Launch of the Regional Drought Management Strategy for South Asia at the UNCCD COP-16, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 10 December 2024

Engage with local stakeholders for drought risk management in Ninh Thuan Province in Vietnam

A Decade of Restoration: From Words to Action

With the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) fast approaching, the stakes could not be higher. If degradation trends to date continue, the world will need to restore at least 1.5 billion hectares of land by 2030 to lock in development gains and to keep global warming at bay.

The opportunity is enormous. A global movement in restoring lands can unleash a trillion-dollar economy, create jobs, revitalize rural livelihoods, increase food and water security, and drive nature-based climate change solutions.

In Asia, this means restoring drought-prone landscapes, investing in sustainable agriculture, conserving groundwater, and empowering individuals, especially women and youth to become guardians of the land.

Desertification and Drought Day 2025 is not just a reminder of what we are losing; it's a call to action for what we can gain. With concerted effort, political will, and the right investments, we can restore our degraded lands and build a more resilient and fairer future for Asia and the world.

Let's restore the land. Let's unlock the opportunities.

Now is the moment to translate ambition into action!

About Desertification and Drought Day 

Officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994 (A/RES/49/115), Desertification and Drought Day, marked annually on 17 June, is a unique occasion to highlight practical solutions to combating desertification, land degradation, and drought.

For more information, please contact: adpc_social@adpc.net