Droughts are the most far-reaching of all natural disasters and are increasingly impacting all regions of the world, accelerating land degradation at an alarming rate and, in turn, disrupting livelihoods and contributing to immeasurable hardship, poverty and deprivation. Recognising this, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is prioritising drought and its related impacts in awareness-raising efforts, including policy studies and publications, as well as its annual commemoration of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Moreover, Decision 24 from UNCCD’s 15th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15), approved a “road map to guide and accelerate the implementation of the Gender Action Plan”, promoting the development and sharing of gender-responsive and transformative approaches.

In response to this decision and acknowledging that women and girls are not only most affected by drought but also are demonstrating remarkable leadership in the face of droughts, developing innovative means to adapt to and better manage drought and to increase drought resilience within their communities, UNCCD launched a global call in early 2024 to identify women-led solutions towards drought resilience. In response, 87 promising practices were received, from which 35 practices were selected for publication. A Review Committee — comprised of selected colleagues from FAO, IUCN and UNCCD — took into consideration each of the promising practices received and analysed their relevance and their capacity to be replicated in drought resilience practices and programming worldwide.