India urges treating drought as preventable risk, not a recurring disaster, sharing multi-layered national model at Mongolia summit.

At the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, India has called for a decisive global pivot – from reactive drought relief to proactive, technology-enabled resilience. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav delivered the message during the Ministerial Dialogue on ‘Accelerating Drought Resilience’, framing drought as a defining development challenge rather than an occasional natural event.

The two-week COP17, running from 17 to 28 August under the theme “Restoring Land. Restoring Hope,” brings together nearly 200 Parties and stakeholders to advance action on desertification, land degradation and drought. Hosted by Mongolia – where nearly 77 per cent of land is affected by degradation – the conference coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. It follows unresolved questions from COP16 in Riyadh on a global drought framework and seeks to convert restoration pledges into finance and on-ground results.

Drought as a Development Challenge

Yadav told delegates that drought is “no longer an occasional event, but a defining development challenge,” one that undermines water security, food systems, biodiversity and economic stability. India’s core position, he said, is that drought “must be managed as a predictable, preventable risk, and not a recurring disaster demanding emergency response.” The guiding principle he advanced was clear: “Preparedness over response, prevention over crisis management, resilience over recovery should be the goal.”

The call aligns with a broader international recognition that droughts are intensifying under climate change, with global annual costs already estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Experts and institutions have long argued that the overwhelming share of disaster funding still flows to post-event response rather than anticipatory action, even though investments in preparedness can yield high returns.

India’s Coordinated National Approach

Yadav outlined India’s multi-institutional model that integrates early warning, mitigation, relief and community resilience. Rainfall monitoring combined with satellite-based drought assessments triggers preparedness measures at inter-ministerial and state levels, aiming to stop a dry spell from escalating into a full crisis. The approach links land and water management tightly. “Restore the forest, before the flow,” the Minister said, highlighting catchment and riverscape forestry that reduces erosion, improves water retention and recharges groundwater. River rejuvenation programmes and the revival of traditional water bodies further strengthen rural water security.

In the hills, community-led restoration of springs and recharge zones is prioritised. Across the plains, a nationwide watershed programme tackles degraded rainfed lands through a ridge-to-valley approach, backed by community institutions and convergence with rural employment schemes. At household level, drinking-water programmes focus on reliable supplies during stress periods, with defined service levels, local quality testing and priority for vulnerable areas.

Farmers are protected through crop insurance that covers drought and other non-preventable losses across the crop cycle. The system combines subsidised premiums with technology-driven assessment to enable faster, more transparent claim settlement. Community ownership, capacity building and livelihood diversification sit at the centre of the transition from reactive relief to proactive resilience.

Prevention Tools and Safety Nets

Prevention measures include watershed development, water harvesting, afforestation, groundwater recharge and promotion of climate-resilient crops. These are complemented by disaster-related funds, employment guarantees, fodder support and emergency water supplies when needed. The model seeks to ensure that when drought conditions do occur, communities and systems are already better equipped to absorb the shock.

India’s experience is presented against the backdrop of its larger land-restoration efforts. The country has reported restoring 21.76 million hectares of degraded land between 2011 and 2020 under the Bonn Challenge framework, generating substantial employment, and has committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030. These efforts feed into the broader narrative that land restoration is an investment in food, water, biodiversity, livelihoods and long-term resilience –an argument Yadav also advanced in related finance-focused dialogues at the same COP.

Call for Stronger Global Investment

Looking outward, the Minister advocated greater international investment in ecosystem restoration, stronger early-warning systems and coordinated action. He affirmed India’s readiness to share knowledge and capacities, including on early warning, to help build a drought-resilient future for all. Building drought resilience, he stressed, is not optional for the world’s most vulnerable communities; it is a matter of survival.

The message comes as COP17 seeks concrete outcomes on drought after earlier talks struggled to deliver a legally binding framework. Global estimates underscore the scale of the challenge: achieving land-restoration and drought-related targets is projected to require hundreds of billions of dollars annually, far exceeding current investment levels, while the cost of inaction remains high. Mechanisms such as the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership, launched at COP16 with substantial pledges, are among the tools under discussion for translating commitments into projects that reach communities.

India’s intervention at the Accelerating Drought Resilience dialogue reinforces its consistent emphasis at successive UNCCD conferences on proactive management, technology, community participation and the integration of land and water strategies. By positioning drought as a manageable risk rather than an inevitable disaster, India is urging the international community to prioritise preparedness systems that can reduce human suffering and economic loss before crises fully unfold.

As COP17 continues through its thematic days on finance, water, land and people, and food systems and soil health, the focus remains on moving from declarations to measurable action. India’s detailed presentation of its domestic architecture – linking satellites, watersheds, insurance, employment programmes and community institutions – offers a practical example of how that shift can be organised at national scale.