The European Union (EU) on Tuesday said that 12 of its member states already suffered from land degradation, which "have reached a global dimension," and voiced its fear that "there is a serious risk that it will become more widespread."

More than 12 million hectares of productive land are lost due to desertification every year in Europe. [File photo]

The statement came as Andris Piebalgs, the EU commissioner for development, was addressing the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on desertification, land degradation and drought, which was opened here Tuesday with an aim to raise the global awareness of these challenges.

Twelve EU member countries were affected by the problem of land degradation simply because this issue did not only have serious impacts on the developing countries, but also affected the developed ones, he said.

"These problems are not restricted to the developing countries, however, and have reached a global dimension," he said. "Within the EU itself, 12 member states have declared themselves affected countries with substantial areas already subject to land degradation."

However, Piebalgs did not offer any details on the names of these 12 EU members.

"With the climatic changes anticipated in the coming decades, there is a serious risk that it will become even more widespread," he said.

"The problem of desertification and land degradation is one of the most serious threats to the livelihoods of the poorest people in developing countries today, where subsistence and perspective of improvement are based on the sustainable exploitation of natural resources," he said. "It has not only economic and environmental heavy consequences, but also significant political and social impacts."

"In order to address these challenges, there is a need for coherent policies, including measures in affected countries to tackle the issue at an early stage," he said. "At the same time, we need to recognize that pressures linked to population, food security and water shortages are often drivers of unsustainable land use practices."

The United Nations convened a high-level meeting on Tuesday to focus on actions to protect the drylands, home to two billion people. Productive lands in dry regions around the world are under increasing threat due to poor land management practices and climate change.

More than 12 million hectares of productive land are lost due to desertification every year, the equivalent of losing an area the size of South Africa every decade. While productive land becomes scarcer, providing food for the nine billion people predicted to live on the Earth in 2050 will require a 70 percent increase in global food production.

More than 100 heads of state and government took part in the high-level meeting, followed by interactive panels and a closing ceremony.

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