Online Reporter
Svetlana Khristoforova
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is observed on June 17. Established by the United Nations, it aims to draw attention to the challenges of land degradation and water scarcity.
According to the UN, drylands cover more than 40 per cent of the Earth’s land surface. Over recent decades, their area has expanded by 4.3 million square kilometres – exceeding the territory of India. Experts describe the rapid spread of arid zones as one of the most serious environmental threats of our time.
“According to the latest data from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), more than three-quarters (77.6 percent) of the world’s land surface experienced drier conditions during the three decades leading up to 2020 compared with the previous 30-year period.
“This trend directly affects BRICS countries, where large populations and extensive agricultural areas coexist,” Gabriela de Fatima Cia, an expert in sustainable development, international environmental cooperation, water resource management and forest ecosystems, member of the BRICS Student Commission and coordinator of the Youth Secretariat of the Centre for Integration and Cooperation of Russia and Latin America (CICRAL), said in an exclusive interview with TV BRICS.
In this context, Gabriela de Fatima Cia believes that desertification has become not only an environmental issue but also an economic one. BRICS countries represent the interests of more than half of the world’s population and possess significant freshwater reserves, forest resources and extensive agricultural land. This makes the group one of the key participants in the global climate and environmental agenda.
“Droughts occur in all BRICS countries, including Brazil and Indonesia, which are located in the equatorial zone. The situation is particularly severe in Iran and certain regions of India and South Africa. In any given year, a major drought could threaten any BRICS country,” environmental law expert and public environmental affairs specialist Aleksandra Kudzagova told TV BRICS.
Drought across BRICS countries
China has been implementing anti-desertification programmes for more than half a century. Despite significant achievements in afforestation, around 27 per cent of the country’s territory is still classified as desert or arid land.
“Although China is the global leader in renewable energy development and investment in clean technologies, accounting for 39 per cent of global solar energy capacity, 40 per cent of wind energy capacity and up to 70 per cent of global electric vehicle sales, it remains the world’s largest emitter, responsible for approximately one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions,” Gabriela de Fatima Cia noted.
India and South Africa are also facing considerable pressure on water resources, soils and agriculture. In India, desertification risks, extreme heat and water shortages in key farming regions pose threats to food security. In South Africa, the challenge is exacerbated by a historical vulnerability to prolonged droughts and water scarcity. In 2024, the United Nations reported that southern Africa was experiencing its most severe drought in a century.
Brazil is also witnessing an increasing drought trend. The risk is particularly acute in the north-east and semi-arid regions, where soil degradation and water shortages are already affecting productivity and food security. Water scarcity and wildfires are becoming persistent threats, especially in biomes such as the Amazon and the Pantanal. The country’s principal environmental priority remains combating deforestation.
“Between August 2025 and March 2026, forest loss declined by 36 per cent. The reduction from 2,296 to 1,460 square kilometres marked the lowest deforestation rate in the past eight years and the best result since 2017,” Gabriela de Fatima Cia emphasised.
In Russia, the issue is less about classical desertification and more about a combination of water shortages, climate variability, and soil degradation in vulnerable regions. Despite vast humid zones, parts of the country’s southern regions face growing drought risks. Countries such as Iran and the United Arab Emirates are located in naturally hyper-arid regions and face extreme water scarcity.
Experts identify hydraulic engineering projects as the primary tool for combating drought, enabling the storage and distribution of water resources while mitigating seasonal fluctuations and climate anomalies. Across BRICS countries, canals are being dug and dams constructed to secure water supplies.
In Egypt, for example, the world’s largest agricultural wastewater treatment facility, the Al-Hammam Plant, was built as part of the major New Delta project. Nutrient-rich wastewater collected from farms in the northern Nile Delta is transported to the plant via a 174-kilometre artificial canal.
“This facility produces 7.5 million cubic metres of clean water every day. The water is then channelled over dozens of kilometres to transform parts of the Sahara into agricultural land,” Aleksandra Kudzagova explained.
Egypt also plans to build a seawater desalination membrane manufacturing plant in cooperation with Chinese partners. According to Sada El-Balad, a TV BRICS partner, the membranes will use reverse osmosis technology, allowing water molecules to pass through while retaining salt. Through this technology, the country aims to desalinate 9 million cubic metres of water per day by 2050.
More broadly, experts believe that all environmental projects aimed at reducing disaster risks and strengthening climate resilience can contribute to combating aridity.
This is precisely the direction in which BRICS countries have intensified cooperation in recent years. During the first BRICS Summit in Ekaterinburg in 2009, member states expressed interest in promoting constructive dialogue on climate change. Subsequently, at the fifth BRICS Summit in Durban in 2013, members agreed to coordinate efforts in energy and infrastructure. Since 2015, BRICS environment ministers have held regular meetings, while the BRICS Environment Working Group (EWG) has been established.
“This progress is important because the expansion of drylands cannot be addressed through isolated measures alone. It requires long-term planning, integration of agricultural, environmental and water policies, and sustained investment in adaptation,” Gabriela de Fatima Cia stated.
These ambitions are increasingly supported by financing from the New Development Bank (NDB). Established in 2015, the institution has approved more than 120 projects worth approximately US$40 billion, focusing on infrastructure and sustainable development. The NDB has also issued green bonds worth around US$450 million in 2016 and US$1.25 billion in 2025 to finance environmental, climate and infrastructure initiatives across member states.
From Erzurum to Ulaanbaatar: a new focus on rangeland ecosystems
In 2026, additional attention to land degradation was generated by the Silk Road Caravan initiative launched by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The project began in Erzurum, Türkiye, and is travelling through several Eurasian countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia.
The journey will conclude at the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP17), scheduled to take place in Ulaanbaatar from 17 to 28 August 2026.
The initiative seeks to highlight the condition of rangeland ecosystems and the role of pastoral communities in preserving land resources. Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface, support the livelihoods of around two billion people and provide a substantial share of global food production. Yet up to half of these areas have already degraded or are at risk.
This issue is particularly significant for BRICS countries.
The Eurasian steppe belt, stretching more than 8,000 kilometres from the Black Sea to Mongolia and north-eastern China, accounts for roughly a quarter of the world’s rangelands.
As a result, soil restoration, water conservation and sustainable pasture management are increasingly viewed as essential components of climate adaptation and efforts to combat desertification.
The Silk Road Caravan continues the momentum generated at COP16 of the UNCCD in Riyadh in 2024, where countries agreed for the first time on a dedicated package of measures for sustainable rangeland management. These decisions include expanding investment in land restoration, preventing ecosystem degradation and supporting local communities whose livelihoods depend directly on natural resources.
Experts also highlight the launch of the BRICS Partnership for Land Restoration in 2025 as a particularly significant development. The initiative was unveiled in Brasilia during the second meeting of the BRICS Agriculture Working Group.
According to Gabriela de Fatima Cia, the partnership proposes the establishment of a structured financing mechanism, potentially involving international organisations, to support soil conservation and the restoration of degraded ecosystems, including mangroves, riverbanks, floodplains, and wetlands.
Among the partnership’s priorities are correcting soil acidity, controlling salinisation and investing in research, infrastructure and technical assistance for farmers and agricultural enterprises. The initiative is designed to transform political commitments into practical action, strengthen Global South leadership in the sustainable development agenda and provide a structured response to the expansion of drought-affected lands.
Experts agree that coordinated action, additional financing, the application of scientific approaches and the development of smart agriculture are becoming increasingly essential, as forecasts for the continued expansion of arid zones remain unfavourable.
“Global warming continues, and in some regions it is leading to water shortages. At the same time, population growth and economic development across BRICS countries are increasing demand for water and expanding water extraction from natural ecosystems,” Aleksandra Kudzagova concluded. – BricsTV.
