At the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, countries could not agree on a global drought framework. The proposal sought better drought prevention, early warning, national planning and cooperation. Both binding and voluntary options were deferred to COP18, which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Countries did agree to make drought a permanent standalone agenda item from COP18. The UNCCD puts the yearly funding gap for drought resilience and land restoration at $278 billion.