The United Nations will be observing its annual World Day to Combat Desertification on Sunday, known as 'World Desertification Day'. The theme for this year is ''desertification and climate change—one global challenge'', with the aim of drawing attention to the dangers of desertification and the importance of prevention. Experts have warned that nearly one fifth of the world's population is directly or indirectly threatened by desertification. Countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Central Asia, the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and South America are particularly vulnerable to this crisis. In Bangladesh, some non-governmental organizations are planning to observe the day, as there has been a lack of government initiatives to address this issue. Abu Sumon, who serves as the director of the Wetland and Coastal Biodiversity Project within the Department of Environment, emphasized the significant impact of global warming this year. He pointed out that desertification is a direct consequence of global warming, noting the discovery of plants that thrive in harsh environments as evidence of desertification in the northern region of the country. Sumon highlighted the Barindra land as having the most difficult soil in the country and also mentioned the concerning trend of decreasing underground water levels as a recent phenomenon directly linked to the issue. The United Nations has issued a warning that global warming is contributing to the expansion of dry land and could potentially displace millions of people in the future. The UN's leading scientific authority on global warming stated in April that rising global temperatures could severely impact rainfall patterns, snowmelt runoff, and river flows in many countries already facing water scarcity. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that between 80 and 200 million more people could face food insecurity by 2080. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) reported that 70 percent of the world's agricultural drylands are already degraded and at risk of desertification due to factors like overgrazing and deforestation, with climate change exacerbating these issues. The UN body stated that desertification is growing rapidly and despite the awareness of its significant environmental and social impacts, it has not been given the appropriate amount of attention at national, regional, and international levels.