International Drought Resilience Alliance
No country is immune to drought and its impacts on food, water, and energy security, forced migration and natural resource conflicts. Europe, the western United States, Chile, Australia, and the Horn of Africa have all suffered extreme droughts in recent years. These unprecedented droughts have far-reaching impacts on agriculture, energy, transportation, tourism, and human health.
From 1998 to 2017, drought generated economic losses of about US$124 billion across the world, not to mention the cost in human suffering and lives.
Drought frequency, severity, and duration are projected to increase in the short term due to climate change, which is expected to cause to a large displacement of people from affected areas in the long run.
The overwhelming evidence points to the need to shift from crises management to drought preparedness and adaptation measures that significantly reduce vulnerability and exposure at all levels. World leaders recognize the need for a global collaborative platform, with political engagement at the highest level and a network of implementing partners to support countries and communities considering their different circumstances.
Responding to these needs, the International Drought Resilience Alliance was first announced by Spain at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2022 to be officially launched at the UNFCCC COP27 in November 2022. The alliance is jointly convened by President of Senegal Macky Sall and President of the Government of Spain Pedro Sánchez. Interested members of the Alliance see the urgent need to pivot from emergency response to increasing drought resilience through a more coordinated and effective response.
When: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Join us for the launch of a groundbreaking report, led by global gender expert Lorena Aguilar, showcasing 35 powerful case studies of women leading innovative drought resilience efforts in their local areas. Register here: https://unccd-int.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HiTabvUDQpSPGLfBKnvoag#/registration
When: 15 - 17 October 2024
Where: Yerevan
Regional preparatory meetings are instrumental for countries included under UNCCD regional annexes to get information and discuss key issues before sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies, aligning regional approaches and priorities. By focusing on specific strengths and needs of each region, these meetings can ensure that the COP decisions and actions make a real impact. As platforms for information exchange, regional meetings also support the representatives of affected countries in delivering on their tasks in implementing the convention at the national level. The regional meetings will be focused around the COP 16, CRIC 22 and CST 16 agenda items, and will include presentations from the UNCCD secretariat and the Global Mechanism, followed by discussions among the countries of the region.