As climates warm and become more variable, the frequency and severity of droughts and other climatic events are increasing. In this context, increasing the ability of economies, ecosystems and communities to become more resilient to droughts has never been more important. Whilst traditional and novel approaches are being adopted to prepare for, predict, respond to and recover from droughts when they do occur, sharing insights and approaches across disciplines has the potential to result in innovative, high-quality research leading to practical and effective outcomes with real-world impact.