In brief

The Drylands Development Centre (DDC) is a thematic centre of UNDP dedicated to fighting poverty and achieving sustainable development in the drier regions of the world. UNDP-DDC adopts the Integrated Drylands Development Programme (IDDP) to help meet challenges faced by dryland populations in a holistic and strategic manner. The IDDP addresses three interlinked issues of importance to poverty alleviation in the drylands within one integrated programme:

• Drylands issues, climate change adaptation and mitigation mainstreamed into national policies, planning and development frameworks and contributing to the effective implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD);
• Vulnerability of drylands communities to environmental, economic and socio-cultural challenges (such as climate risks, drought, land degradation, poor markets, migration) reduced and adaptation/mitigation capacity built; and
• Drylands communities benefit from improved local governance, management and utilization of natural resources.

The IDDP is currently operational in 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States as well as regional and international level