Elevating Drought on the Global Agenda: GWPO at UNCCD COP17
In August, GWPO took part in the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), hosted by Mongolia. Over the course of the conference, GWPO launched a new online course on drought risk management, showcased a fast-growing pipeline of drought resilience investments, and welcomed a decision that will give drought a permanent place on the Convention’s agenda.
A step forward for drought, but the road ahead is still long
While Parties were not yet able to reach consensus on a global policy for proactive drought management at COP17 — with substantive negotiations now set to continue at COP18 — they did take a meaningful step forward by deciding to elevate the profile of drought, including it “as a stand-alone agenda item of the Conference of the Parties at its eighteenth session and at each ordinary session thereafter.” In practice, this means drought will have dedicated space for discussion at UNCCD COP18 in Egypt in 2028, and at every ordinary session beyond it.
GWPO commends the leadership shown by COP17 host Mongolia in securing this significant step to elevate drought within the Convention’s dialogue, and looks forward to Egypt’s leadership in translating this political momentum into stronger cooperation and concrete action on the ground.
Drought is not only a climate hazard. It is a water security challenge that affects communities, economies, and ecosystems across entire regions. For GWPO, this outcome reinforces the fact that drought can no longer be sidelined and gives negotiators a clear, recurring mandate.
GWPO will continue helping countries integrate drought risk into water planning and translate plans into bankable projects. Central to this work is the GWP Network’s longstanding partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP).
Integrated Drought Manegement Programme: from plans to investable projects
At COP17, Dr Valentin Aich, GWPO Senior Water and Climate Specialist, set out how IDMP is helping countries move from reactive drought crisis response towards proactive drought risk management — and increasingly, from plans to investable projects.
A key driver is the growing collaboration between IDMP and the UNCCD Global Mechanism, which combines complementary strengths in drought expertise, country engagement, project development and resource mobilisation.
“The scale of the emerging pipeline is significant. The broader portfolio represents approximately US$240 million in funding requests. The Direct Global Mechanism–IDMP collaboration currently includes five regional projects and proposals covering 23 countries, with around US$112 million requested from the Adaptation Fund alone. Projects are at different stages of development, review and approval, with the Lake Chad project now entering implementation,” said Dr Aich.
The collaboration continues to grow: WMO and GWP are in discussion with the UNCCD Global Mechanism to explore working together on additional projects within the wider portfolio. Through IDMP, this partnership brings together WMO and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, GWP’s country and regional networks, the resource mobilisation and policy expertise of the UNCCD Global Mechanism, and the diverse expertise of more than 45 IDMP partners.
The ambition goes beyond individual projects. Investments are designed to strengthen institutions, establish operational drought monitoring and early-warning systems, and develop approaches that can be replicated and scaled — helping catalyse much greater public and private investment in drought resilience. This growing pipeline also shows how IDMP can help translate the ambitions of the Global Water Investment Platform (GIP) into country-driven, finance-ready investments that deliver drought resilience on the ground.
Through IDMP, GWPO works with countries to turn knowledge into action, helping prevent drought from becoming a crisis of hunger, displacement, and lost livelihoods. This work is advanced with partners including the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD and the International Drought Resilience Alliance, while GWPO looks forward to exploring synergies with the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership and the Drought Resilience Investment Facility.
A new course, and a bigger ambition for learning
Building drought resilience requires not only finance and technical solutions, but also sustained investment in people and institutions. Capacity development is therefore an important pillar of GWPO’s drought work, combining structured learning with peer-to-peer exchange and opportunities for practitioners to learn from one another. During COP17, GWPO officially launched a new online course, “Drought Risk Mitigation, Preparedness, and Response”.
The course development was led by UNCCD, IDMP, GWPO, and International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), with 28 experts and contributors from 19 partner organisations bringing together knowledge, practical experience and perspectives from around the world.
Dr Birguy Lamizana Diallo, Chief of Global Policy, Advocacy and Regional Cooperation at the UNCCD, emphasised the importance of sustained capacity development, strong partnerships and the power of peer-to-peer learning, highlighting the role of the UNCCD Communities of Learning and Practice (CLPs) in bringing people together to exchange knowledge, experience and practical solutions.
GWPO has partnered with UNCCD to co-develop the UNCCD CLPs as a mechanism for sustained capacity development, connecting practitioners across countries and institutions to exchange experiences, access expertise and translate knowledge into practice. The online courses complement this approach by providing structured learning that can continue through peer exchange and collaboration within the CLPs.
Daniel Tsegai of UNCCD introduced and officially launched the new course, reflecting on the journey behind its development and the importance of equipping practitioners with the knowledge and practical tools needed to move from reactive drought response to proactive risk management.
The course itself reflects that collaborative spirit, bringing together expertise from across organisations, regions and disciplines to address drought mitigation, preparedness and response as interconnected parts of building resilience.
Explore the new drought risk management course.
Looking ahead
With drought now set to hold a standing place on the UNCCD agenda from COP18 onward, GWPO sees COP17 as a turning point: political recognition is catching up with the scale of the challenge. Through IDMP, the Communities of Learning and Practice and its network of partners, GWPO will keep working to translate that recognition into the knowledge, capacity and investment countries need to build lasting drought resilience.
Article thumbnail picture source: UNCCD
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