Drought represents one of the greatest risks that Latin American countries must face as part of climate change; EUROCLIMA+ through its project "Design and initial implementation of a drought information

system for southern South America - SISSA" is part of the regional discussion for the implementation of plans and policies to address this threat.

Buenos Aires, Argentina. November 20, 2020. On November 23 and 24, the initial virtual session of the Workshop on National Drought Plans and Policies organised by the Drought Information System for Southern South America (SISSA) will be held. The initiative is part of the project "Design and initial implementation of a drought information system for southern South America -- SISSA" of EUROCLIMA+, a programme financed by the European Union and executed by the implementing agencies the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD). It is also co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The meeting represents a first joint approach to collaborative work among the organisations of the six countries that make up the Regional Climate Centre for Southern South America (CRC-SAS) in order to initiate and support national processes for the design and implementation of drought plans and policies. The workshop will work with the conceptual framework of the 10-step programme of the National Policy Guidelines for Drought Management, which was developed by Dr. Donald Wilhite, Founding Director of the National Drought Mitigation Center of the United States, and which has been widely adopted by multiple national and international institutions and programmes.

"Coordination, active collaboration and the development of strategic partnerships between multiple levels of government, communities, the private sector and other relevant actors are key components of a national drought plan," said Cecilia Hidalgo, a member of the Project's Regional Coordination Unit. "For this reason, the meeting involved various actors who will work together to implement drought preparedness, and drought adaptation and mitigation measures in South America," she added.

The workshop will be attended by about 100 government institutions and civil society actors involved in drought management and impact reduction, as well as institutions internationally recognised for their work on drought issues, including the National Drought Mitigation Center of the University of Nebraska and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.

Likewise, reference organisations in the field such as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will have interventions.

On the problem of Drought and the importance of National Plans

Drought has enormous social, economic and environmental impacts on southern South America, a region that relies heavily on rainfall to sustain its large agricultural production, generate hydroelectric power, transport cargo on its waterways, and satisfy domestic, industrial and environmental water demand. In a context of increasing climate variability and change, the impacts of droughts will tend to become more frequent and intense. In southern South America - as in other parts of the world - the usual response to droughts is reactive: action taken once the impacts have occurred. These responses are generally ineffective, insufficiently coordinated, and unnecessarily costly. For this reason, an alternative approach proposes the proactive development of national preparedness plans and policies that reduce vulnerability and increase society's resilience to drought.

A national drought plan or policy is a set of principles and procedures that guide drought management and increase society's resilience to its impacts. Simply put, a drought plan defines who does what and when, before, during and after a drought. A drought policy focuses on risk management through the implementation of preparedness, adaptation, and mitigation measures. Coordination, active collaboration, and the development of strategic partnerships between multiple levels of government, communities, the private sector, and other relevant actors are key components of a national drought plan.

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme financed by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and UN Environment.

Contacts:

For more information about EUROCLIMA+, contact Alexandra Cortés: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For information about the EUROCLIMA+ Risk Management component, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.