Drought remains unfinished business
Drought was one of the most difficult issues at COP 17. After two weeks of negotiations in Ulaanbaatar, the Parties were unable to reach consensus on a more ambitious global framework for its proactive management.
For Africa, which is already experiencing its effects on water, food security, economies and mobility, this work remains essential. The decision to retain drought as a standalone item on the Convention's agenda and at subsequent ordinary sessions is an achievement. However, we must not wait until the next COP to act.
Progress must become implementation
COP 17 leaves a mixed record. Important progress was achieved, particularly on rangelands and pastoralism, land tenure, sand and dust storms, and strengthening the interface between science and policy. Financial commitments were also announced, including a $1.3 billion portfolio for land restoration and drought resilience in 23 countries. Of this amount, $644.5 million represents newly identified financing, including $216.4 million already confirmed and moving towards implementation. COP 17 also launched the Drought Resilience Investment Facility, which aims to mobilize up to $400 million in public and private capital for drought resilience. The true significance of these announcements will nevertheless be measured by their ability to become accessible finance, operational programmes and lasting results for people.
These discussions reflect a reality that African countries have long understood. Land degradation and drought do not stop at borders. They affect water resources, ecosystems, agricultural production, economies and social stability. They call for a response rooted in territories, coherent at regional level and supported by international commitments equal to the challenge.
Land and water must be managed together
For the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, as for the African Network of Basin Organizations, this conclusion reinforces the conviction that territorial resilience depends on the joint management of land and water. In arid and semi-arid areas, the two are inseparable. Preventing crises requires better knowledge of resources, anticipation of risks, stronger institutions and organized cooperation wherever resources are shared. Basins, particularly transboundary basins, are decisive spaces in this respect. They show that the sustainable management of a shared resource can become a driver of stability and development.
Move from ambition to implementation
“The Great Green Wall Initiative particularly illustrates the challenge of moving from ambition to implementation.” « L’Initiative de la Grande Muraille Verte illustre particulièrement le défi de passer de l’ambition à la mise en œuvre. »
Partners announced $19 billion in financing in 2021, while needs are estimated at $33 billion by 2030 to achieve its objectives. The challenge remains to convert these commitments into genuinely accessible financing and high-impact programmes.
“The African Union's Great Green Wall Strategy 2024-2034 now provides a framework to better connect continental ambition with national priorities and local realities.” « La Stratégie de l’Union africaine pour la Grande Muraille Verte 2024-2034 offre désormais un cadre pour mieux relier l’ambition continentale aux priorités nationales et aux réalités locales. »
This desire to work at scale is reflected in the African Development Bank's announcement that it will mobilize $500 million between 2027 and 2031 to support the extension of the Great Green Wall in Southern Africa. The task is to structure robust, financeable and sustainable programmes that connect land restoration, water security, territorial development and community resilience. For OSS, involved in the Initiative since its conception and alongside countries since its adoption by the African Union in 2007, working at scale is a priority.
Connect local action with regional decisions
Ulaanbaatar also showed that when negotiations slow down, action on the ground continues. Local authorities, communities, farmers, pastoralists, scientists, civil society actors, basin organizations, national institutions and financial institutions presented experiences that restore land, improve water management, strengthen local capacities and make territories better prepared for shocks. These initiatives are an essential part of the COP's outcomes. They demonstrate that solutions exist, that they can produce lasting effects and that they can be adapted to other contexts.
Our responsibility now is to better connect these different scales. Action undertaken in a village, watershed or territory must be able to inform national policy, just as a successful national experience must be able to guide regional choices. International commitments must return to the ground as accessible resources, stronger capacities and decisions that tangibly improve people's lives. This is how outcomes gain significance: by circulating knowledge, know-how and resources between the local and global levels.
At OSS, we will continue working alongside countries to bring knowledge closer to decision-making, better connect land, water, biodiversity and climate in public policy, and ensure that financing responds to the real priorities of territories. Within the African Network of Basin Organizations, we will continue to advocate cooperation at basin level to strengthen water security and resilience, particularly where shared resources make collective action indispensable.
A common voice for drought resilience
“The conclusions of COP 17 also confirm the determination of African countries to speak with a common voice and carry greater weight in international decisions on drought.” « Les conclusions de la COP 17 confirment également la volonté des pays africains de porter une voix commune et de peser davantage dans les décisions internationales relatives à la lutte contre la sècheresse. »
Africa's ambition is to transform the fight against drought into a development opportunity that benefits young people and women through innovation and green entrepreneurship.
The Convention's next meeting is expected in Egypt in 2028. The time between now and COP18 must be devoted to demonstrating and implementing concrete actions that improve the resilience of territories and communities to drought. We must arrive with more resilient territories, better-equipped institutions, stronger cooperation, financial commitments more effectively translated into achievements, and more evidence that the solutions we advocate work.
“The true measure of Ulaanbaatar will be what we have made possible by COP18.”
OSS and the African Network of Basin Organizations intend to play their full part in meeting this responsibility.