A total of thirty-four people, including the West Africa Programme manager, took part in the said meeting, which provided an opportunity to review the actions carried out in the various regions covered by the programme for the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018.
After a reminder of the programme's governance structure, the three (3) basic pillars of Integrated Drought Management (IDS), namely i) monitoring and early warning; ii) vulnerability and impact assessment; and iii) mitigation, preparedness and response, were again explained. Like the representative of the West African region, those of the Horn of Africa, South Asia, South America, the Pacific Islands, Central and Eastern Europe each took stock of the activities carried out and the prospects. The partners present also presented their initiatives in the field of drought including the UNCCD drought initiative; the Multi-Danger Global Warning System (GMAS) and the Global Drought Information System. The "HelpDesk" and the international research centre on drought mitigation were also presented.
Several global recommendations were made and specifically for the West African region, it was advised to find more synergies with similar initiatives being implemented by partners; to continue to liaise and support as much as possible with the UNCCD drought initiative. GWPWA was also commended and encouraged to continue its efforts in resource mobilization and synergy with ongoing initiatives in the West African region.