World Meteorological Organization Working together in weather, climate and water

1. World Meteorological OrganizationWorking together in weather, climate and water WMO Need for High Level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) Mannava Sivakumar Director Climate Prediction and Adaptation Branch WMO: Climate and Water www.wmo.int

2. Presentation • Introduction • Droughts in 2011 and 2012 • Need for National Drought Policy • Guiding Principles and Goals of National Drought Policy • Need for High Level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) • Steps for the organization of HMNDP • Conclusions • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+202 Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy

3. Socio-economic Impacts of Climate-Related Extremes on the Rise ! Hazard intensity and frequency increasing linked to climate variability and change! Vulnerability and exposure on the rise ! Need for Pro-active RiskManagement Energy Aral Sea Transportation Water Resource Management Intensity Strong Wind People Agriculture Urban areas Heavy rainfall / Flood Drought Heatwaves Frequency

4. Current Drought in the West-African Sahel • An insidious natural hazard which knows no boundaries • Over 13 million currently affected by drought in the West-African Sahel • 10% - 15% malnutrition rates in several countries • In some areas malnutrition exceeds the 15% threshold emergency. • 4 WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20

5. Other parts of the world are also affected • Drought is also critical in other parts of the world • In 2010-11, Texas and North Mexico experienced an exceptional drought • South-east England is officially in a state of drought, with rivers and groundwater levels even lower than the 1976 records • UK Met Office: a risk of up to 10-fold increase in drought by 2100 • 5 WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20

6. Drought in Hubei Province in China A severe drought which has lasted for five months since January 2011 along the Yangtze River region in central China has rendered nearly 1,400 reservoirs in Hubei Province temporarily unusable, devastated farm fields and made drinking water scarce. The drought had left 315,000 people and 97,300 head of livestock in Hubei short of drinking water, and more than two million acres of farmland had been affected. • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 6

7. Need for National Drought Policy Given the current concerns with climate change, increasing frequency and intensity of droughts with the resulting impacts on many sectors, in particular food and water, the time is ripe for nations to move forward with the development of a national drought policy. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 7

8. Need for National Drought Policy(2) In the absence of a coordinated national policy that focuses on effective emergency response systems including monitoring and early warning, impact assessment, and planning and risk management strategies to cope with the effects of drought on society and the environment, crisis or reactive management generally typifies the response of national governments around the world to drought emergencies. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 8

9. 2 1 3 4 Early Warning Systems Require Coordination Across Many Levels and Agencies National to local disaster risk reduction plans, legislation and coordination mechanisms Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy

10. Need for National Drought Policy (3) Lack of a clear national drought policy implies that governments at the state, local and community levels must deal individually with each national agency involved with drought assistance. Although at the national level, governments play a major role in drought response, seldom does a single agency has the authority to lead or coordinate drought management and response. There is an urgent need for a coordinated national drought policy to develop proactive mitigation measures, adaptation strategies and a safety net of emergency response actions that can be effectively implemented at all levels through the cooperation of agencies at the national level. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 10

11. Goals of National Drought Policy (1) Proactive mitigation and planning measures, risk management, public outreach and resource stewardship as key elements of effective national drought policy. Greater collaboration to enhance the national/regional/ global observation network and information delivery system to improve public understanding of and preparedness for drought. Incorporation of comprehensive governmental and private insurance and financial strategies into drought preparedness plans. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 11

12. Goals of National Drought Policy (2) Recognition of a safety net of emergency relief based on sound stewardship of natural resources and self-help at diverse governance levels. Coordination of drought programs and response in an effective, efficient and customer-oriented manner. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 12

13. Why a Compendium on Drought Policy ? Since the National Drought Policy for any given country will depend very much on the local circumstances and priorities, it is important that the guidance on national drought policy to any government should not be prescriptive. Instead, a Compendium of Desirable Elements in a National Drought Policy can be compiled. All countries around the world will be encouraged to adopt the elements that will be appropriate to their local circumstances and national priorities and design their own national drought policies. A template for National Drought Policies could be included to guide the formulation of individual national drought policies. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 13

14. Justification for a High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) • A high-level dialogue on national drought policy will facilitate actions outreach beyond the usual reactive approach • The traditional form of drought relief depends on governmental assistance, discouraging self-reliance & increasing the vulnerability of various sectors to future droughts • The sixteenth World Meteorological Congress (Geneva, 2011) recommended a HMNDP to address essential drought issues, especially in coordination with UNCCD Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 14

15. Actions following WMO Cg-XVI • WMO and UNCCD followed-up the Congress with two key events: • July 2011 - Expert Meeting at George Mason University, Washington DC, USA on a National Drought Policy Compendium (the Proceedings published); • November 2011, in Morocco - International Symposium on Integrated Drought Information System (ISIDIS), bringing together experts to discuss implementation plans • WMO and UNCCD established a HMNDP International Organizing Committee (HIOC), which held its 1st meeting in Geneva in December 2011 • A 2nd meeting (HIOC-2) organized on 11 and 12 June 2012 in Brasilia Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 15

16. HMNDP organization • The HMNDP will be organized in Geneva from 11-15 March 2013 • WMO Trust Fund established to support the participation of experts from developing countries • Countries and organizations contributing > 100 k CHF to be recognized as major sponsors • If you are interested to sponsor HMNDP, please contact us. Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 16

17. Key conclusions • The formulation of effective national drought policies is indeed opportune, given the concern with the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts • A compendium on national drought policies & various consultations with governments before the HMNDP will contribute to a global debate on the urgency of national drought policies adoption • The HMNDP will provide the opportunity for sustained international dialogue and an intergovernmental declaration on national drought policies Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy • WMO/UNCCD Side Event at Rio+20 17

18. Thank You WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION Expert Meeting on National Drought Policy