Coordinated management and governance of land and water are critical pillars for food and energy security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, healthy ecosystems and lives – in short for sustaining the needs of a growing population now and in the future. GWP (2017) therefore calls for capitalising on the potential for mutually reinforcing interactions between the two resources.
Drought provides a stress test to the way water and land are managed, which is exacerbated by population pressures and climate change as highlighted by the IPCC special report on climate change and land released a few weeks ago. Drought is in focus at the UNCCD COP14, the world’s largest intergovernmental forum where decisions on land use and management are made.
In collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), GWP will co-organise the Drought Preparedness Day on 11 September. The event will be available on webcast at https://www.msbroadcast.tv/cop14india
On the same day, in an official side event, the GWP Strategy 2020-2025 “Mobilising for a Water Secure World” will be launched. Building on a 3-year workstream with the World Bank, a joint Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) – World Bank publication will also be launched at the same event: “Framework for the Assessment of Benefits of Action/Cost of Inaction (BACI) for Drought Preparedness”. Further details on the event in this flyer.
Proactive approach to drought management
Over the last two years, GWP has, in particularly through the collaboration in the IDMP with WMO and over 30 expert institutions, worked closely with governments, stakeholders and the UNCCD Secretariat to advance a proactive approach to drought management.
As part of the UNCCD Drought Initiative over 70 countries have started to develop drought plans - supported by the Integrated Drought Management Help Desk and extensive use of IDMP guidance material. GWP also convened its multi-stakeholder platforms to strengthen the development of drought plans and supported the development of the UNCCD Drought Toolbox, which will be officially launched at the UNCCD COP 14.
Also on the UNCCD Drought Preparedness Day publications GWP has co-authored on “Proactive approaches to drought preparedness – Where are we now and where do we go from here?” will be launched together with FAO and partners and a publication on “Drought Impact and Vulnerability Assessment: A Rapid Review of Practices and Policy Recommendations” with UNCCD and partners.
GWP joins representatives of governments, civil society and the private sector at the UNCCD COP14 with a call for an urgency to act for water security and to halt future degradation and rehabilitate degraded land. GWP will also highlight pathways and the opportunities drought present for improving land and water resources management to tackle climate change.
GWP Delegates at UNCCD COP14
Mr. Howard Bamsey, Chair
Mr. Frederik Pischke, Senior Network Operations Specialist
Dr. Veena Khanduri, Executive Secretary, GWP India
Photo: Opening of High Level segment with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 September.