Iraq Drought Aid

Casey Walther, the UNESCO representative at the workshop, said: ‘Let us hope that this momentum gained here will now be the force that moves Iraq forward in placing early preparedness and planning at the centre of government drought management efforts.'

The workshop on Iraq, held from 13th to 15th February in Amman, Jordan, brought together senior representatives from ten Iraqi ministries, three major cities, five provincial governments, four universities and one non-governmental organisation to examine drought planning policies in Iraq and discuss reform options for the government.

At the heart of the recommendations was developing a long-term national drought mitigation plan that could be implemented before, during and after a drought. The workshop outcomes also cited the need to upgrade the country's system of weather stations into a more robust, comprehensive national early warning system that could provide more accurate forecasts and data.

The participants called on the UN for help with building institutional capacities for drought planning and research and with promoting adherence to international conventions and treaties on water use and regional and international networks for best practices in drought management.