Online Help for Drought-Impacted Populations Worldwide
From the World Meteorological Organization:
Water insecurity costs the global economy roughly US$ 500 billion annually and causes the death and displacement of more people than cyclones, floods and earthquakes combined. In particularly vulnerable economies, a 50% reduction in drought effects could lead to a 20% increase in per capita GDP over a period of 30 years. Therefore, mechanisms to enhance integrated drought management are more critical than ever.
As part of an ongoing drive to promote more proactive policies to deal with this major natural hazard, the World Meteorological Organization and Global Water Partnership have joined with other partners to launch an online HelpDesk for the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) designed to provide tailored guidance to drought-impacted populations around the world.
The HelpDesk is in line with the mission of IDMP to provide stakeholders with policy guidance, scientific information, and best practices for integrated drought management. With its “Ask” function and “Find” function, the HelpDesk enables stakeholders to contact experts directly for advice and access extensive collections of drought management knowledge.
IDMP’s co-sponsors, the World Meteorological Organization and the Global Water Partnership and over 10 IDMP partner organizations, each with diverse expertise in drought management, have agreed to respond to HelpDesk inquiries. Government officials, civil society organizations, meteorologists, academics and private sector professionals facing drought-related issues are encouraged to use the request function located on the IDMP webpage. Specific requests are then vetted to the IDMP partner organization best equipped to provide a tailored response.
“It is key to get the knowledge and expertise to decision makers and practitioners on the ground and we are always exploring new ways to make drought management more accessible to key stakeholders” says Oyun Sanjaasuren, Chair of the Global Water Partnership. “The Integrated Drought Management HelpDesk is a one-stop-shop for stakeholders to gain expert drought guidance specific to their region and situation.”
