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nnovators from the Great Green Wall countries are invited to apply for the DeserTech Innovation Leaders for the Great Green Wall, a new training scheme to find innovative solutions to tackle desert-related challenges.

UNCCD, the global vision and voice for land, welcomes the announcement made Monday, 7 November 2022, at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference that Saudi Arabia will contribute USD 2.5 billion over the course of 10 years to support the Middle East Green Initiative projects.

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends, Drought is a global challenge, which no nation can solve on its own. Because of climate change, drought is becoming more frequent and longer lasting, with devastating impacts on all sectors of society, from agriculture and energy to transportation and tourism. An estimated 55 million people are directly affected by drought every year, putting the well-being of current and future generations at unacceptable risk. It is my privilege, and I am delighted to welcome all of you to the launch of the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA). The Alliance will catalyze momentum and mobilize resources for targeted actions to enhance drought resilience – thus shifting the focus from crises management to drought preparedness. Countries are joining forces to send a strong political signal that global partnerships can transform actions and mindsets to enhance drought resilience and reduce unnecessary suffering. I would like to start by thanking His Excellency Mr. Pedro Sanchez, President of Spain, and His Excellency Mr. Macky Sall, President of Senegal for their leadership, commitment, and efforts to make the International Drought Resilience Alliance a reality.   Excellencies,   We are in a race for drought resilience —and it’s a race we can win. Drought is a natural hazard but does not have to lead to human disaster. The solutions are available, and we can create a drought resilient world by increasing our ambition, harnessing the political will, and joining forces to act together. I would now like to invite His Excellency Mr. Pedro Sanchez, President of Spain to give his opening remarks Thank you, Mr. President, I would now like to invite His Excellency Mr. Macky Sall, President of Senegal to give his opening remarks. Thank you, Mr. President  

At the initiative of the Presidents of Senegal, Macky Sall, and Spain, Pedro Sánchez, leaders from over 25 countries and 20 organizations today launched the International Drought Resilience Alliance to accelerate action and help countries to be better prepared for future droughts.

World leaders will launch a new alliance to boost drought resilience on Monday, 7 November 2022, at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference in Egypt.  The high-level launch event, jointly convened by Senegal and Spain, titled, International Drought Resilience Alliance, will take place from 17:00-18:00hrs local time.  

The Conference of Parties at its fifteenth session (UNCCD COP 15) decided to establish an Intergovernmental Working Group (IWG) on effective policy and implementation measures for addressing drought under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with a view to presenting its findings and recommendations to Parties for their consideration at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (UNCCD COP16). The IWG will consist of three-Party representatives nominated by each respective regional group based on nominations by national governments (21 members), plus two representatives from civil society organizations (as observers), two representatives from international organizations working on drought and two independent experts. The IWG invites applications from representatives of the regional and global international organizations and the independent experts from all regions to work together with the IWG members appointed by the Parties in 2022-2024. Please apply by 5 August 2022 via these links:  Independent experts: /sites/default/files/2022-07/call%20for%20expression%20of%20interest-Independent%20experts-%20IWGFINAL.pdf Representatives of international organizations: /sites/default/files/2022-07/call%20for%20expression%20of%20interest-IGOs%20-%20IWGFINAL.pdf