High Level Meeting on National Drought Policy: Summary and Major Outcomes

Drought is widely recognized as a slow creeping natural hazard that occurs as a consequence of the natural climatic variability. In recent years, concern has grown world-wide that droughts may be increasing in frequency and severity given the changing climatic conditions. Responses to droughts in most parts of the world are generally reactive in terms of crisis management and are known to be untimely, poorly coordinated and disintegrated. Without a coordinated, national drought policy, nations will continue to respond to drought in a reactive, crisis management mode. In order to address the issue of national drought policy, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with a number of partners, organized the High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy (HMNDP) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11 to 15 March 2013. The goal of HMNDP was to provide practical insight into useful, science-based actions to address key drought issues and various strategies to cope with drought. During HMNDP, detailed discussions were held during a scientific segment over 3.5 days, leading to the adoption of a HMNDP Declaration in a High Level Segment, calling on all the governments around the world to develop and implement national drought policies. The major outcomes of the scientific and high level segments are presented.