The publication "Aligning national drought plans with global and national policy frameworks" provides governments and practitioners with practical guidance on how to align national drought plans (NDPs) with existing policy, legal and institutional frameworks to enable effective implementation. It positions policy alignment as a core requirement for moving from reactive drought response to proactive, risk-based drought management, in line with national development priorities and international commitments.The report presents two complementary methodologies that support alignment across both the planning and implementation phases of NDPs. A multicriteria assessment framework is used to review the quality, readiness and internal coherence of drought plans, while a policy alignment approach examines how drought is recognized and addressed across sectoral policies, institutional mandates and coordination mechanisms. Together, these tools help identify gaps, inconsistencies and opportunities for integration.The methodologies are applied in 12 country cases across diverse geographic and institutional contexts, generating insights into common strengths, persistent weaknesses and emerging good practices. While monitoring and technical capacities are generally well developed, the findings reveal slower progress in governance, social inclusion, gender, vulnerable groups and phased drought actions, as well as limited integration in sectors such as health, energy and education.Based on these findings, the publication proposes tiered recommendations to strengthen policy coherence and outlines operational pathways to translate alignment into investment planning and subnational action, supporting more coherent, inclusive and resilient drought governance.