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: Thursday, 10 July 2025
Where: New York
The President of the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level meeting “Sand and dust storms: Working across agendas for resilience and sustainability” at the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters 10:00AM – 1:00PM local time. Held in observance of the International Day of Combating Sand and Dust Storms, the meeting will spotlight the environmental, health and socio-economic impacts of sand and dust storms, which contribute to land degradation, air pollution and food insecurity.The event will bring together Member States, observers, UN entities and NGOs to advance coordinated global and regional action. Discussions will focus on early warning systems, international cooperation and resource mobilization, in line with the newly proclaimed UN Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms (2025–2034) and relevant SDGs. The meeting will be webcast live on UN WebTV in all official UN languages.
When: 12 - 15 August 2025
Where: Lusaka
The UNCCD, together with UNU-EHS, UNDP and UNEP, is organizing a session on "Promoting synergies between Land Degradation Neutrality and climate change adaptation," aligned with the launch of the LDN NAPs guidance publication, at the NAP Expo 2025. The NAP Expo is an annual outreach event organized by the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in collaboration with various bodies and organizations, to promote exchange of experiences and foster partnerships between a wide range of actors and stakeholders on how to advance National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).The overall objective of the NAP Expo is to raise adaptation ambition by advancing the formulation and implementation of NAPs. Specific objectives include:To facilitate the interaction between country NAP teams and providers of support, including the GCF, GEF and AF, as well as bilateral agencies and other relevant organizations, to enhance access to financing for NAPs;To create an interactive global forum on NAPs for countries to share experience, best practices and lessons learned; different organizations and bodies to conduct specialized meetings and workshops; and for Parties and non-Party stakeholders to interact, in advancing the formulation and implementation of NAPs;To serve as the global platform to advance technical and practical measures towards the production of first NAPs as soon as possible and their effective implementation.This is the tenth global NAP Expo since 2013. It brings together a diversity of participants from Parties and Non-Party Stakeholders. More info: https://expo.napcentral.org/2025