Integrated Drought Management Programme

The wider scope of the Programme is to build climate resilience, reduce economic and social losses, and alleviate poverty in drought-affected regions of the world through an integrated approach to drought management, which cuts across sectoral, disciplinary and institutional jurisdictions and is responsive to specific regional and national needs and requirements.

The Programme contributes to the global coordination of drought-related efforts of existing organizations and agencies with regard to:

• Better scientific understanding and inputs for drought management
• Drought risk assessment, monitoring, prediction and early warning
• Policy and planning for drought preparedness and mitigation across sectors
• Drought risk reduction and response

The central objective of the Programme is to support stakeholders at all levels by providing policy and management guidance and by sharing scientific information, knowledge and best practices for Integrated Drought Management.

While the spatial scope is global, the results are policy relevant and tailored to specific regional and national needs and requirements. The overarching approach for the Programme centres around four key principles:

• To shift the focus from reactive (crisis management) to proactive measures through drought mitigation, vulnerability reduction and preparedness
• To integrate the vertical planning and decision-making processes at regional, national and community levels into a multi-stakeholder approach that includes key sectors, especially agriculture and energy
• To promote the evolution of the drought knowledge base and to establish a mechanism for sharing knowledge and providing services to stakeholders across sectors at all levels
• To build capacity of various stakeholders at the regional, national and community levels

Based on the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policies, the Programme has structured its work around the three pillars of drought management:

1. Drought monitoring and early warning systems
2. Vulnerability and impact assessments
3. Drought preparedness, mitigation and response

The Integrated Drought Management Programme is a joint initiative between the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and WMO. In addition, the Programme is supported by 30 expert institutions providing technical support and advice as partners. An international Management Committee and an Advisory Committee steers and guides the overall implementation of the Programme. Membership of these committees comprise representatives of collaborating partners and technical experts. A Technical Support Unit based in Geneva, Switzerland, assists in the technical implementation of the Programme. IDMP draws on the experience of the Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM), shares the experiences of GWP Regional and Country Water Partnerships and provides the scientific basis for managing weather, climate and water extremes through WMO. Regional Integrated Drought Management Programmes are being implemented in Central and Eastern Europe (IDMP CEE), the Horn of Africa (IDMP HOA) and Western Africa (IDMP WAF). Regional initiatives are also carried out in South Asia, Central America and South America.