UNCCD COP16 side event: Why drought resilience matters for the global environment

Drought, intensified by climate change, has become a significant global challenge with profound environmental and socioeconomic consequences. It disrupts ecosystems, deteriorates soil health, accelerates biodiversity loss, and increases greenhouse gas emissions. It also endangers agricultural systems, worsens water scarcity, and threatens food security.

The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is organizing a side event on drought resilience at the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This side event focuses on integrated, proactive strategies to mitigate drought impacts by bridging efforts across land, water, climate, and biodiversity sectors. Join experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore practical solutions that strengthen resilience, safeguard global environmental benefits, and support vulnerable communities on the frontlines of this critical challenge.

The session will begin with a keynote presentation by Roger Pulwarty (Science-Policy Interface) and Daniel Tsegai (UNCCD secretariat), exploring the science behind the causes, trends, and impact of drought on the global environment. Ermias Betemariam, STAP member for land degradation, will then moderate a panel discussion on drought resilience, focusing on how proactive approaches to drought can help address global environmental challenges, such as land degradation, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and vulnerability to climate change – issues that are central to the UNCCD and the GEF.