12 March 2013: The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in cooperation with the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC), have signed a framework of cooperation and launched a project on capacity-building in support of national drought management policies (NDMPs).

The project titled, “Joint Capacity Development Project on National Drought Management Policies,” was launched on 13 March on the sidelines of the High-level Meeting on National Drought Policies (HMNDP) in Geneva, Switzerland. The initiative aims to reduce societal, economic and ecologic vulnerability to droughts by encouraging a shift in drought management from a reactive, post-hazard method to a proactive, risk-based approach. By supporting capacity development in participating nations, the project strives to enable countries to assess disaster management and develop risk-based NDMPs.

The project will involve a series of four regional capacity development workshops in drought-prone regions, including Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshops will provide an overview of the problems related to drought management and outline NDMPs as coping strategies. Throughout the project period, the UN-Water Activity Information System (UNW-AIS), UN-Water’s online platform to share knowledge on water-related projects, will provide a designated space for documenting activities of the initiative. The project will culminate in an international wrap-up workshop in 2014, summarizing outputs of the initiative. [UNCCD Press Release] [Joint Capacity Development Project on National Drought Management Policies Website] [Publication: Draft Concept Note on Joint Capacity Development Project on National Drought Management Policies]