World Water Week’s 2024 theme ‘Bridging borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future’ focuses on water cooperation for peace and security. Join UNCCD and members of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) for the following events highlighting the links between healthy lands, water security, and drought resilience:

Monday 26 August 11:00-12:30 (GMT+2 hours): Water: A regional public good for peace in West Africa

Learning from decades of transboundary work in West Africa, the session will bring national, regional and international viewpoints on the role of water as catalyst for peace, resilient livelihoods, and development. The region counts 28 transboundary river basins covering 71% of its area, making water cooperation key for the future. With a focus on West Africa, the trend and projections of drought and desertification and the role of various actors to address drought proactively, across sectors and scales will be addressed.

Tuesday 27 August 16:00-17:30 (GMT+2 hours): A Hydro-Extreme Serious Game: Managing Disasters and Conflicts.

The Hydro Extreme Game highlights the complexity of taking consensual decisions towards integrated disaster management. Players will attempt to come up with the best mix of water management solutions to manage both droughts and floods based on tools of the UNCCD Drought Toolbox, Associated Programme of Flood Management (APFM), Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) and the IWRM Toolbox.

Wednesday 28 August 08:00-09:00 (GMT+2 hours): Early Warning, Local Action: Synergies, Strategies for Climate Shocks. 

Rising climate shocks demand action. Across diverse regions, the session will analyze warning systems, actions taken, and how local adaptations fit specific contexts. Findings show that integrated approaches significantly outperform separate interventions. Furthermore, empowering communities through locally led adaptation ensures relevant and sustainable solutions.

11:00-12:15 (GMT+2 hours), 7A Posthuset, Room 202 : Nature for Resilient Food, Land, and Water.

15:00-17:30 (GMT+2 hours): Presentations on the upcoming Drought Resilience +10 Conference (30 September – 2 October. Geneva, Switzerland) with WMO, UNCCD, and GWP representatives

Thursday 29 August 11:40-12:40 (GMT+2 hours): Live studio talk show: Elevating Drought resilience beyond borders and sectors.

This session examines cross border collaborative approaches to addressing drought proactively at all levels. Notably, by bringing together early warning, prevention, and response, and by building drought resilience. The discussion will be informed by joint activities of the convening organizations including UNCCD, United Nations University and The Nature Conservancy.

Check the full programme and the details on the sessions above here.