The annual World Day to Combat Desertification by the United Nations will be celebrated as 'World Desertification Day' this Sunday. The theme, "desertification and climate change—one global challenge," aims to draw global attention to the dangers of desertification and the importance of prevention. Experts have warned that nearly a 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, parts of Africa, and areas in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile are at the forefront of this crisis. In Bangladesh, some non-governmental organizations are planning to observe the day, as government initiatives for combating desertification have been lacking. Abu Sumon, the director of the Wetland and Coastal Biodiversity Project within the Department of Environment, emphasized the alarming impact of global warming this year. He also highlighted desertification as a side-effect of global warming, noting the discovery of plants thriving in harsh environments as evidence of desertification in the northern region of the country. Sumon pointed out that the Barindra land has the hardest soil in the country and mentioned the decreasing underground water level 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 arid land, potentially displacing millions of people in the future. The UN's leading authority on global warming stated in April that rising global temperatures could have severe impacts on rainfall patterns, snowmelt runoff, and river flows in numerous 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, totaling 5.2 billion hectares, are currently degraded and under threat of desertification. These vulnerable lands are increasingly at risk of overgrazing, deforestation, and other forms of exploitation, exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The UN body stated that desertification is growing rapidly, with significant environmental and social impacts, but it has not been given the appropriate amount of attention at national, regional, and international levels.