Mon Oct 07 23:02:41 UTC 2024: ## World Leaders Gather to Combat Growing Drought Crisis

**Geneva, Switzerland** – A three-day conference focused on drought preparedness and resilience, Drought Resilience+10 (DR+10), concluded this week, highlighting the urgent need for greater investment in preventative measures to combat the escalating global drought crisis.

Despite scientific evidence demonstrating that building drought resilience is significantly more cost-effective than reacting to crises, the conference revealed a stark reality: only 5% of official development assistance for disasters has been allocated to preparedness in the past decade.

The conference, hosted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), brought together policymakers, experts, and practitioners from around the globe to reflect on progress made in drought management over the past decade. Participants emphasized the growing severity and frequency of droughts, which have increased by 29% since 2000 due to climate change and land degradation.

“Droughts are an insidious and dangerous climate-related hazard, which undermines food human security and is a major cause of internal displacement,” warned WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

The conference underscored the need to move beyond reactive emergency responses and adopt a proactive approach to drought management. Discussions centered on nine key aspects of drought resilience, including risk governance, monitoring, forecasting, and financing.

Participants highlighted the importance of establishing a new global mechanism to address systemic drought risks across international, national, and local levels. This mechanism would facilitate the transition towards a systems-based approach to drought risk management and reduction.

The conference comes ahead of the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which will focus on the theme “Our Land. Our Future.” This critical event serves as a reminder of the need for a global commitment to tackling the growing drought crisis and building a more resilient future.

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