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: 05 - 08 May 2025
Where: Washington DC
The World Bank Land Conference has catalyzed the global land community for over 20 years. The Conference is the premier global forum for the land sector, bringing together over 1 000 participants from governments, development partners, civil society, academia and the private sector to showcase policy-relevant research, discuss technical issues and sector good practice and inform our dialogue. The Conference also aims to encourage cross-sectoral knowledge exchange and has incubated numerous investments, initiatives, and research projects led by diverse stakeholders, including the Voluntary Guidelines, the Land Governance Assessment Framework and the Stand for Her Land Campaign. More info here.
When: 19 - 27 May 2025
Where: Geneva
As the he United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms unfolds, the issue of SDS and human health is certain to gain prominence on the agenda of the seventy-eighth session of the World Health Assembly. Every year, an estimated 2 billion tonnes of sand and dust, an amount equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, enter the atmosphere. Crossing borders silently and impacting millions globally, sand and dust storms are the 'underappreciated' extreme weather events, yet they profoundly affect the environment and the lives of hundreds of millions worldwide, across all continents.