UNCCD’s (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) digital ecosystem required modernization and consolidation through a United Nations website migration. Four separate websites (two WordPress and two Drupal) were operating independently, increasing maintenance costs and making consistent delivery across teams difficult. Content operations were fragmented, UX was inconsistent, and a scalable long-term platform foundation was missing.
A unified Drupal Digital Experience Platform was delivered to centralize the ecosystem, enable scalable editorial workflows, and provide modern component-based content operations. As an enterprise Drupal platform for an international organization, it was designed as a long-term foundation for growth, supporting multiple internal content teams and strategic environmental programs.
The modernization program included multi-iteration migrations, builder-content cleanup, removal of risky PHP fragments, and implementation of reusable UI components via a Drupal Storybook design system for a UN organization. Performance, analytics, and headless integration for mobile applications were also addressed as part of delivery.
UNCCD’s website infrastructure had evolved into a fragmented multi-site system. Four separate websites were created across different technologies and content standards, resulting in duplicated effort, inconsistent UX, and difficulties with content governance.
UNCCD’s digital ecosystem was consolidated into a single Drupal Digital Experience Platform designed for long-term governance and scalable delivery. This UNCCD United Nations Drupal platform case study highlights how the platform standardizes content structures and UI components so multiple teams can publish consistently without page-builder drift. Migration tooling and sanitization reduced legacy risk while preserving critical content across iterations. Headless APIs and analytics integrations support mobile consumption and ongoing optimization.
Publishing workflows were configured per content domain to match how different UNCCD teams operate. Roles, permissions, and review/approval steps support controlled publishing without blocking other sections of the platform. This enabled clearer accountability for content quality and reduced ad-hoc changes in production. The result was a governance model that scales as new programs and sections are added.
Content types and fields were redesigned to replace inconsistent page-builder output with structured, reusable patterns. Editors assemble pages from approved components rather than embedding custom markup or one-off layouts. This improves accessibility and consistency while making content easier to maintain and reuse across channels. It also reduces the cost of future UX changes because updates happen at the component level.
Multiple legacy sites were migrated into the unified Drupal platform using an iterative approach to reduce risk. Migration mappings handled differences in content structures across WordPress and Drupal 7 sources. Each iteration allowed validation, stakeholder review, and refinement before moving additional content. This approach preserved continuity while steadily converging on a single standard.
Legacy WordPress pages contained inconsistent markup and, in some cases, embedded PHP fragments used to render dynamic content. A cleanup and preprocessing layer was implemented to sanitize migrated content and prevent unsafe or invalid output from reaching production. This stabilized rendering across templates and reduced security exposure from legacy patterns. It also improved reliability for editors by removing brittle dependencies on builder-specific HTML.
A shared UI component library was delivered and documented in Storybook to align development and design. Components were implemented once and reused across templates and page assemblies to keep UX consistent. This supported ongoing UX updates by allowing controlled evolution of components rather than repeated rework across pages. It also improved delivery speed and reduced regression risk during platform changes.
GraphQL endpoints were maintained and updated to support structured content consumption by mobile applications. The API layer exposes consistent content models that match the Drupal editorial structures. This enables parallel delivery across web and mobile without duplicating content management. It also provides a foundation for future channel expansion while keeping governance centralized.
Google Tag Manager and GA4 were extended with custom tracking aligned to key sections and component interactions. This provides visibility into how users engage with priority content and journeys across the consolidated platform. Tracking was implemented in a maintainable way so new components and sections can be instrumented consistently. The data supports evidence-based iteration rather than relying on anecdotal feedback.
Looker Studio dashboards were built to translate analytics data into actionable reporting for stakeholders. Reports surface traffic trends, content performance, and behavior patterns in a consistent format across the unified ecosystem. This reduces manual reporting effort and improves shared understanding across teams. It also supports ongoing optimization by making performance signals easier to monitor over time.
UNCCD’s modernization was delivered as a consolidation program that brought four independent sites into a single Drupal Digital Experience Platform. The approach combined platform architecture, iterative migrations, and content cleanup to reduce legacy risk while preserving critical content and editorial continuity. A component-based UI system and structured content model standardized delivery across teams, with governance workflows built into day-to-day publishing. Headless and analytics capabilities were implemented alongside performance and security hardening to support long-term operations and optimization.
A unified Drupal platform was implemented to replace two WordPress and two Drupal 7 sites operating with different standards and governance. Information architecture and content domains were aligned to support multiple internal teams without duplicating platform work. This consolidation reduced operational complexity and created a single foundation for future program growth.
Content was migrated in multiple iterations to validate mappings, preserve editorial intent, and reduce cutover risk. Drupal Migrate API was used to build repeatable pipelines that could be rerun as content changed during delivery. This approach enabled quality control and predictable rollout sequencing across the previously separate sites.
Legacy WordPress pages built with Gutenberg, Elementor, and Beaver Builder were normalized to structured Drupal components. Risky embedded PHP fragments and inconsistent markup were removed or transformed to safer equivalents during migration. A dedicated cleanup layer ensured content rendered reliably and reduced security and maintenance exposure.
A reusable component system was implemented and documented in Storybook to standardize UI patterns across the consolidated ecosystem. Components were designed to support structured content and consistent rendering across templates and page types. This reduced one-off front-end work and made UX changes easier to deliver safely over time.
Domain-specific editorial workflows were configured to match how different teams create, review, and publish content. Structured content types and permissions were aligned to reduce ad-hoc publishing and improve consistency. This ensured the platform could scale operationally without relying on manual coordination between teams.
GraphQL-based headless delivery was migrated and extended to support mobile application consumption of content. GTM and GA4 tracking were implemented with custom events to improve visibility into user behavior and content performance. Looker Studio dashboards provided a shared reporting layer for ongoing optimization and stakeholder reporting.
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He is well-organized and never lets anything slip. Oleksiy understands what needs to be done before being asked and can manage a project independently with minimal involvement from clients, product managers, or business analysts.
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UNCCD consolidated a fragmented four-site ecosystem into a single Drupal Digital Experience Platform to reduce operational overhead and create a scalable foundation for future programs. Standardized components, structured content, and domain-specific workflows improved governance and made delivery consistent across multiple internal teams. Migration cleanup and security hardening reduced legacy risk while improving reliability. Performance and analytics upgrades increased visibility into user behavior and supported ongoing optimization.
[01]Four disconnected websites (two WordPress and two Drupal) were consolidated into one Drupal DXP. This reduced duplicated maintenance and simplified platform operations across teams. A unified foundation also made it easier to extend the ecosystem as new initiatives and content domains are added.
[02]Editorial workflows were implemented per content domain to support multiple internal teams with distinct review and publishing needs. Standardized content structures reduced inconsistencies created by different site histories and practices. This improved governance, accountability, and day-to-day publishing reliability.
[03]A reusable UI component library was delivered and documented in Storybook to standardize patterns and reduce rework. Teams could assemble pages from approved components rather than rebuilding layouts per site or per builder. This accelerated delivery and improved consistency across the ecosystem.
[04]Multi-iteration migrations were executed with validation and quality control to reduce surprises at launch. Builder-generated markup and legacy content were cleaned and normalized to fit the new structured model. The result was more predictable content operations and a platform that is easier to maintain long term.
[05]Risky PHP fragments embedded in legacy WordPress content were removed and replaced with secure Drupal components and configuration. This reduced the attack surface and eliminated brittle, hard-to-audit behavior in page sources. The platform is safer to operate and easier to govern over time.
[06]Performance work improved page experience and overall site responsiveness, supporting better usability for global audiences. Lighthouse scores increased from the 30–60 range to the 70–90 range on key pages. This also provided a stronger baseline for ongoing optimization and content growth.
The project leveraged a comprehensive set of Drupal services to modernize and unify the digital ecosystem. Core architecture and content modeling services established a scalable, multisite Drupal platform with structured content and governance. Migration and cleanup services ensured reliable content transition from legacy WordPress and Drupal sites, while integration services connected Drupal with analytics, CDP, and headless delivery systems. Frontend and design system services enabled reusable UI components and Storybook-driven consistency, supporting faster UI delivery and headless integration. Operational services enhanced performance, security, and observability, ensuring a stable and maintainable platform foundation for long-term growth.
Designing Scalable Digital Foundations
Drupal content architecture design and editorial operating design
One Platform. Multiple Brands. Infinite Scalability.
Drupal content migration engineering for data, content, and platform change
WordPress to Drupal migration services with content integrity
Drupal event tracking architecture, identity, and audience sync engineering
Drupal GA4 event tracking and enterprise instrumentation
Enterprise Drupal DXP Architecture & Engineering
Frontend component library development for scalable UI platforms
Build scalable component libraries and design systems
Speed Is Not a Feature. It’s Infrastructure.
Automated Deployments. Reliable Infrastructure.
These case studies highlight Drupal DXP consolidations and modernizations for organizations with complex multi-site ecosystems and governance needs. They reinforce themes of legacy platform migration, component-based content operations, and scalable editorial workflows in international and environmental contexts. Together, they provide insights into delivering stable, secure, and performance-optimized Drupal platforms for global audiences and strategic programs.
The existing marine data portal relied on three unaligned WordPress installations and embedded PHP code, creating inefficiencies and risks in content management and usability.
The new Drupal DXP streamlined content operations and improved accessibility, offering scientists and businesses a more efficient gateway to marine data services.
With Drupal 7 reaching end-of-life, Veolia needed a Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 enterprise migration for its Acquia Site Factory multisite platform—preserving region-specific content and multilingual capabilities across more than 200 sites.
The platform was modernized into a stable, scalable multisite foundation with improved performance, maintainability, and long-term upgrade readiness.
An advanced healthcare digital platform for LATAM was required to facilitate collaboration among radiology HCPs, distribute company knowledge, refine treatment methods, and streamline workflows. The solution needed secure medical website role-based access restrictions based on user role (HCP / non-HCP) and geographic region.
The platform enhanced collaboration, streamlined workflows, and empowered radiology professionals with advanced tools to gain insights and optimize patient care.
These articles expand on the key decisions behind this UNCCD delivery: consolidating a fragmented WordPress and Drupal estate into a structured Drupal platform, planning migration work as a governance and architecture program, and auditing content models before implementation. They also add useful guidance on governing the GraphQL layer used for headless delivery and managing taxonomy quality across multiple editorial teams.
