UNCCD National Focal Points are reunited in Livingstone Zambia for the "Regional training on drought policy and institutional frameworks in preparation for UNCCD COP16 negotiations" organized by UNCCD, FAO, and GWP.

Got questions about the WE4F Call for Innovation – Lebanon Edition? We’ve got you covered! Join our webinar to learn more about the call, the type of projects we're looking for, and how to apply.
📅 Date: November 4, 2024
🕒 Time: 3pm GMT+3
✅ Learn about eligibility, funding opportunities, and how this call can support your organization.

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/en-CEfJ

Que significa Artículo 8(J) para las comunidades en Latino América y el Caribe!?
https://www.sirgecoalition.org/statements/understanding-the-significanc…

https://afrp.undrr.org/news/leaders-unite-address-impacts-el-nino-easte…
Leaders unite to address the impacts of El Niño in Eastern and Southern Africa

Windhoek, Namibia, October 28, 2024 - Regional cooperation and early action are key to addressing the challenges posed by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other climate-related shocks on the African continent. The call to action was made this Thursday as high-level representatives from governments and partners convened for a critical roundtable at the 9th Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Namibia. The event, titled "Strategic Policy Directions on El Niño: Transformative Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern and Southern Africa", highlighted the devastating consequences of ENSO events on the region and the compounding impact of climate change.

The high-level event, organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in coordination with the Resilience Hub for Africa of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and in partnership with the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) brought together ministers, heads of delegations, representatives of regional bodies, development and humanitarian partners to share best practices and identify collaborative ways forward in addressing ENSO.

Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNDRR, underscored the need for investing in inclusive early warning systems to mitigate the worst impacts of climate disasters. He highlighted the importance of forecasting the impacts of ENSO across multiple sectors, using simple language so all stakeholders can understand and act on the messages. He noted that "when we do these climate outlook forums, where the early warning forecasts are delivered, we need to also bring in key sectors, look at what happened in previous events across sectors and have a better economy-wide anticipation of what is likely to happen."

Since 2000, climate-related disasters have caused an estimated $540 billion in loss and damage in the region, and such events are becoming more intense and frequent because of climate change.

Anderson Banda, Director of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC) provided an overview of the El Niño-induced drought that affected part of Southern and Eastern Africa, noting that some SADC member states experienced long dry spells, storms and cyclones. He emphasized the importance of discussing the coming season because of the forecast received. "What we know will happen is that we will have a problematic period from October to March. We will be dealing with a situation where vulnerable communities have not been able to recover. So we are looking at it from a resilience and capacity point of view because it has been one hydrological extreme event after the other."

The impacts of the 2023/2024 El Niño episode have been significant, with over 61 million people affected by the drought in Southern Africa and an additional 5 million people affected by flooding in Eastern Africa. This most recent ENSO episode was one of the five strongest in recent history, making Africa one of the most affected regions globally.

Ko Barrett, Deputy Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), highlighted the importance of understanding ENSO's role in climate variability. "Changes to rainfall and temperature from ENSO are predictable but climate change may change the variability and frequency". She added that the region continues to advance in the ability to provide timely forecasting to allow for advance notice in the mobilization of anticipatory resources to address ENSO. "Understanding what is coming allows us to prepare, and it is a critical step in the Disaster Risk Reduction value chain".

As the impacts of El Niño persist, there is now a 60% likelihood of a transition to La Niña in the coming months. This cooling phase of ENSO could lead to drought conditions in Eastern Africa and heightened flood risks in Southern Africa, driving humanitarian partners to advocate for increased preparedness efforts.

Reena Ghelani, UN Climate Crisis Coordinator for El Niño/La Niña highlighted the gravity of the current ENSO impacts across the region, noting that nearly 30 million people in Southern Africa face crisis levels of food insecurity. "The frequency and intensity of these climate-related events are increasing, and we cannot continue to respond in the same way. We must prioritize long-term, transformative solutions to break the cycle of recurring crises," she said.

The roundtable discussions focused on the need for holistic solutions to address the root causes of vulnerability in the region. Moderated by Dr. Zeynu Ummer, Director of the UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa, the dialogue centered on disaster risk reduction strategies implemented by governments. Ministers in charge of DRR and high level representatives from East and Southern African countries stressed the need for stronger national and regional cooperation, improved early warning systems, and greater investment in building climate resilience at the community level.

High-level representatives highlighted the critical challenges posed by ENSO, shared strategic policy directions by respective member states, and reinforced commitments tolong-term DRR initiatives. Recognizing the gravity of the issue, member states emphasized the need to strengthen institutional capacity, foster multi-sectoral partnerships and co-create community-led solutions to build resilience against future ENSO-related shocks.

The report "Valuing Water in Tanzania: (Re)assessing the Contribution of Water to the National Economy" was launched yesterday in a high-level event at the Ministry of Water of Tanzania!

Watch the recording of the event here: https://youtu.be/Uq4xamb08A0
Access the full report here: https://www.gwp.org/contentassets/9914cb9de46a486b9ee4709ea66bdca8/tanzania-valuing-water---report.pdf

Drought Resilience +10 Post-Conference Materials Available!

We are excited to announce that the post-conference materials from the Drought Resilience +10 Conference are now live!
The conference called for accelerated action and collaboration to address the growing challenges of drought and water scarcity.
Explore the key conclusions and recommendation (https://www.droughtmanagement.info/hmndp10/about/conference/), and find additional materials here: https://www.droughtmanagement.info/hmndp10/materials/session-materials/
Don’t miss the featured article: https://www.droughtmanagement.info/drought-resilience-conference-calls-….

We also invite your feedback and insights in our discussion: Post-Drought Resilience +10: Reflections, impacts, and next steps (iwrmactionhub.org) https://iwrmactionhub.org/discussion/post-drought-resilience-10-reflect…

From 30 September 30 to 2 October 2024, decision-makers and experts will gather in Geneva to assess global progress on drought resilience. Our guide gives you an overview of key sessions, including:

• Proactive drought risk management and resilience strategies
• Governance challenges and solutions for better climate adaptation
• Nature-based solutions and the role of all sectors in drought resilience

The outcomes of the conference will be crucial in shaping future international negotiations and policies on drought resilience, including the UNCCD Conference of the Parties in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this December.

Learn more and stay tuned for insights and actionable steps from the conference: https://lnkd.in/eJyXg3F6

THE CONCEPTS: Mientras que una ola de calor (heat waves) es un calor excesivo, una sequía (drought) es escasez de agua. Una sequía suele comenzar con un déficit de precipitaciones (meteorological drought) durante un período prolongado, lo que provoca una reducción de la humedad del suelo (soil moisture or soil water), así como escasez de agua (water scarcity) en arroyos, canales, ríos, embalses y aguas subterráneas.

Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW)

Droughts in Southeast Asia negatively impact ecosystem services, food and water security, and biodiversity. These impacts are exacerbated by climate change, further highlighting the need for improved governance and decision-making in virtually all sectors. Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW) helps to improve the operational, technological, and institutional capabilities to prepare for and respond to droughts in the Southeast Asia region; to support local decision-makers in drought monitoring, analysis, and forecasting; and to provide policymakers and growers with current and forecast drought indices to facilitate decision-making within the current growing season.

https://servir.adpc.net/tools/southeast-asia-drought-watch-seadw

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) participates at Drought Resilience +10 Conference | 30 September to 03 October 2024, Geneva, Switzerland

Building on the momentum of the first High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policies in 2013, the Drought Resilience +10 Conference focuses on intensifying and expanding drought response efforts globally. This event gathered nations, experts, and practitioners to assess progress in drought management, draw lessons learned, and outline a collective path toward a more drought-resilient world. The conference is organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with various UN agencies, international and regional organizations, and key national bodies.

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) hosted a side event, “Governance in Action: Strategies for Improved Drought Risk Management,” on 30 September 2024. This event was co-organized with the UNCCD, Global Water Partnership (GWP), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Sri Lanka's Ministry of Environment, and Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia.

Moreover, ADPC participated in the panel discussion on Drought Risk Finance (Workstream 7) during the conference's Plenary Session on 01 October 2024.