Drought is a global phenomenon, and it is getting worse. No region or country has been spared, and climate change is increasing the extent, frequency, intensity and duration of droughts in many parts of the world.
Already, some countries previously thought to be resilient to drought have seen shrinking water reservoirs affect hydropower generation, agricultural irrigation, drinking water supplies and riparian habitat important to wildlife and people. Others are finding river levels too low for economically viable shipping. The most vulnerable populations are the most at risk. In many nations that depend on land to grow crops and graze livestock, children are dying from treatable diseases, because they lack enough nutritious food. UNICEF projects that by 2040, one in four children will be living in areas with extreme water shortages.

More is coming. Scientists are warning us on how climate change has and will continue to increase the intensity, frequency and duration of droughts events. They are clear that, even as we cut emissions, we must also ensure our land and water use decisions lead to increased water security. Thus, among the most important things we can do is to reduce the impacts of these droughts on communities and ecosystems by building resilience.

Building resilience is not easy. Drought is complex. Its causes are varied, and it has both direct and indirect impacts on food security, human well-being and ecosystem health. Episodes of drought that occur where land has become degraded can spur human migration and even civil unrest. The need to increase water security is vitally important, something achievable by addressing the links and interactions among water scarcity, climate change and land degradation. Research suggests that water scarcity can be mediated, at least in part, with better land- and water-use decisions and by restoring degraded land.

“Multiscale Approaches for the Assessment and Monitoring of Social and Ecological Resilience to Drought” was prepared under the supervision of the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface (SPI) working group dedicated to Objective 2. In keeping with decision 19/COP.12 as well as with internal SPI procedures, all technical reports have undergone a scientific review by the larger SPI group (including all five Committee on Science and Technology (CST) Bureau members
and all five observer organizations), a review by several former SPI members, and an international, independent review process that has included six domain experts covering all regions. The technical report was prepared by an author team of three coordinating lead authors, three lead authors, and eleven contributing authors.
The draft report produced by the authors underwent a two-step peer review process, including an internal review and an independent external scientific review. For the latter, six external reviewers (individual experts) from the different UNCCD regions, and two representatives of international organisations, which are relevant to the UNCCD processes on drought and land degradation were selected. The coordinating lead authors ensured that all peer review comments received appropriate consideration. The report was reviewed by the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD