Every part of the world now suffers from drought,  and drought has become one of the biggest challenges leading to food insecurity.  The global workshop brought together water, agriculture, climate and environment communities and drought experts to jointly discuss best practices and lessons learned in addressing droughts in transboundary basins.

Transboundary cooperation is crucial for drought management as more than 60% of freshwater is shared by two or more countries! Cooperation on shared waters can really help to improve preparedness for climate-related extremes. 

Mr Lars Tummers, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations, delivered an opening speech:

“To ensure that we are prepared for dry periods, it is imperative that meteorological and hydrological data and information are shared within countries and between riparian countries, and that early warning systems are in place. Early identification of an expected dry spell provides the opportunity to take timely action to reduce water use and direct available water to the highest priority users. And last March, as co-host of the UN Water Conference in New York, one of the outcomes of the conference was the Water Action Agenda with more 800 commitments, pledges and actions from around the world in support of the SDG 2030 Agenda. Nearly half of these actions address drought. I encourage you all here to follow up on these important actions.”

Link to opening remarks by Lars Tummers during the event