The coronavirus pandemic is compounding the impact of drought, which is already affecting more lives than ever with serious impact on health, the economy and the environment.
Droughts cannot be avoided but their impact can be mitigated by adopting a pro-active approach to drought risk management. In this webinar, a special focus will be given to innovative tools and measures, including monitoring and early warning systems, vulnerability assessment and risk mitigation measures, in the context of the current pandemic.
The UNCCD has last year launched an interactive Drought Toolbox that serves as a platform to provide drought stakeholders with easy access to tools to support the implementation of national drought plans to boost the resilience of people and ecosystems against droughts. As no amount of early warning will work without action to protect the most vulnerable, it is important to combine better forecasts with detailed knowledge on how landscapes and societies respond to a lack of rain and turn that knowledge into early intervention.
This 1-hour free webinar will provide insight into the tools for monitoring and early warning developed by UNEP-DHI, vulnerability assessment options by EU-Joint Research Center and mitigation measures developed by FAO, UNCCD and other partners that can help develop a pro-active response to drought in the time of a pandemic.
In summary: - Opening remarks by Jeroen Van Dalen (UNCCD) - Presentation of an example of Early Warning System by Bertrand Richaud (UNEP-DHI) - Presentation on drought vulnerability by Daniel Tsegai (UNCCD) - Presentation on mitigation measures by Maher Salman (FAO) - Closing remarks by Jeroen Van Dalen (UNCCD) - “Questions and Answers” to the experts
