Explanation:

Only statements 1&2 are correct.

• Statement 3rd is incorrect: India ratified and joined the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 17th December 1996.

• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), adopted in 1994, is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.

• IUCN is an institutional observer of the Science Policy Interface of the UNCCD, as well as a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force of the UN Decade on Deserts and the Fight against Desertification (UNDDD).

• The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.

• Parties to the Convention meet in Conferences of the Parties (COPs) every two years, as well as in technical meetings throughout the year, to advance the aims and ambitions of the Convention and achieve progress in its implementation.

• There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union.

Why in news?

• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) announced the launch of its first-ever data dashboard, compiling data from across the globe.

Hence option 2nd is correct.