UNCCD COP 15 - Drought Day
Moving from Commitments to Action

Host: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

[ Recorded webcast ]

The Drought Day will be an occasion to present and discuss how to transform political commitments  to action on drought resilience. It will showcase effective policies and projects on the ground from all  regions around the world. Organized with the active engagement of partners, the Drought Day delivers a special call for action.

Objectives

• To showcase examples of effective national and regional policies and projects that improve  drought resilience;
• To highlight the role of new technologies, including satellite imagery and artificial intelligence,  in delivering input and analysis for timely decision making;
• To discuss and exemplify how sustainable finance could be channeled into nature-positive  bankable projects that contribute to drought resilience;
• To present the overview of the IWG report and its recommendations;
• To highlight tangible actions which can be taken to enhance multi-stakeholder coordination and  partnerships;
• To deliver key messages to the UNCCD COP15 on the above.

Expected outcomes

Agenda

[PDF format - 510 Kb]

09:00 - 09:30 Hours

Welcome/Networking

09:30- 11:00

Session 1: High Level Session

Opening: Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD
Moderator: Ms. Leigh Ann Winowiecki, Global Research Theme Leader, Soil and Land Health, CIFOR-ICRAF
Speakers:

• Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
• Mr. Hugo Morán Fernández, Spanish Secretary of State for Environment
• Ms. Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Ms. Oulimata Sarr, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa
• Mr. Abdoulaye Sene, Executive Secretary of the 9th World Water Forum
• Mr. Ibrahima Diong, UN Assistant Secretary General & Director General of African Risk Capacity Group
• Ms. Patricia Kombo, UNCCD Land Hero, Kenya
• Mr. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of WMO (video message)

11:00-12:15

Session 2 :Working session showcasing examples of effective national and regional policies and projects that improve drought resilience

Moderator: Mr. Michael Bruentrup, German Development Institute
Keynote: Mr. Mark Howden, Vice Chair of the IPCC (video message)
speakers:

• Mr. Thomas Iseman, The Nature Conservancy
• Mr. Heinrich Wyes, Advisor to the Executive Director of CAREC
• Mr. Abduvokhid Zakhadullaev, National Focal Point, Uzbekistan
• Mr. Chris Magero, IUCN
• Ms. Nathalie van Haren, Both Ends (tbc)

12:15 - 13:30

Lunch Break: Launch of new publications

Moderator: Daniel Tsegai, UNCCD

A rapid review of effective financing for policy,
implementation and partnerships addressing drought risks
King, C., Salman, M., Tsegai, D., Naqvi, M.
FAO, 2022
[Read more]

A rapid review of drought risk mitigation measures
Integrated drought management
King-Okumu, C.
FAO, 2022
[Read more]

Drought & Water Scarcity
Valentin Aich (GWP), Katrin Ehlert (WMO), Maher Salman (FAO),
Robert Stefanski (WMO), Daniel Tsegai (UNCCD)
UNCCD, 2022
[Read more]

Drought in Numbers 2022
- restoration for readiness and resilience -
Daniel Tsegai, Miriam Medel, Patrick Augenstein, Zhuojing Huang
UNCCD, 2022
[Read more]

The Blue Paper - Drought Risks, Resilience and Restoration
Augenstein, Patrick, Lukas, Martin, Tsegai, Daniel, Björklund ,Gunilla, Eudoxie, Gaius, Brüntrup, Michael, King-Okumu, Caroline, Kust, German, Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought, UNCCD, 2022
[link soon available]

(Lunch provided)

13:30-14:35

Session 3: Early Warning and Action Systems

The session will highlight the role of new technologies, including satellite imagery and artificialintelligence, in delivering input and analysis for timely decision making

Moderator: Mr. Gaius Eudoxie, Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought
Speakers:

• Ms. Lucy Barker, UK-CEH Good Practice Guidance
• Ms. Eva Pek, Agricultural Stress Index System, FAO
• Mr. Issa Garba, AGHRYMET – CILSS – West Africa
• Mr. Valentin Aich, Integrated Drought Management Programme - Regional Programmes, GWP
• Mr. Andrea Toreti, European Drought Observatory, EU-JRC

14:30-15:30

Session 4: Sustainable Finance

The session will focus on how sustainable finance could be channeled into nature-positive bankable
projects that contribute to drought resilience

Moderator: Mr. Maher Salman, Senior Land and Water Officer, FAO
Speakers:

• Ms. Camilla Nordheim-Larsen, Senior Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Coordinator, UNCCD
• Mr. Amath Pathe Sene, Lead of Environment and Climate for West and Central Africa, IFAD
• Mr. Cecil Nartey, Program Coordinator of the Africa Disaster Risk Financing Initiative, African Development Bank
• Mr. Chris Dickinson, Ecosystems Management Senior Specialist, Green Climate Fund
• Mr. Oluyede Ajayi, Programme Lead, Food Security and Rural Well Being, Global Center on Adaptation

Closing: Ms. Caroline King, Senior Drought Specialist, The Border Institute

15:30 - 16:00

Break / Networking Coffee

16:00 - 17:00

Session 5: Towards a High-level Meeting on Drought 2023 (HMNDP 2013 +10)

The session will focus on lessons learned from the High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policies (HMNDP in March 2013) and will discuss ideas on a possible multi-partner 2023 High-level Meeting on Drought (HMNDP + 10)

Moderator: Mr. Robert Stefanski , Chief, Agricultural Meteorology Division (WMO)
Panelists:

• Ms. Miriam Medel, Chief, External Relations, Policy and Advocacy, UNCCD
• Ms. Katrin Ehlert, IDMP/WMO
• Mr. Mark Svoboda, Director, National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska
• Ms. Rachael McDonnel, Deputy Director General, International Water Management Institute
• Mr. Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO

17:00 - 17:15

Closing

• Ms. Andrea Meza Murillo, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNCCD
  
  

Selected photos

All photos by: IISD/ENB | Matthew TenBruggencate
Source: https://enb.iisd.org/rio-conventions-pavilion-unccd-cop15/11-may-2022