23 October 2012: A regional workshop on Integrated Drought Management has taken place in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 5-6 October 2012, with the goal of formulating and committing to the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) initiative. The workshop was a joint initiative of Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE), the GWP Technical Committee and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The event brought together 58 key stakeholders from different sectors, such as meteorology, water management and agriculture and international organizations, and included representatives from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Participants highlighted several threats associated with drought, stressing the need to strengthen cooperation and institutional frameworks. Noting that Central Asian countries have to develop their own national policies to deal with climate change, Galina Stulina, GWP Central Asia and Caucasus, called for the development of alternative, environmentally-friendly energy sources and the setting of energy efficiency targets. The workshop also included a peer review of the regional Drought Management Programme. Recommendations and suggestions will be incorporated by the end of 2012 in a detailed workplan and budget for 2013-2015, forming a basis for the new programme.

GWP was founded in 1996 by the World Bank, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to foster integrated water resource management (IWRM). [SEMIDE EMWIS Press Release]