With a population  of nearly 400 million people, the Near East and North Africa (NENA) is significantly dependent on agriculture for its food security and is, at the same time, one of the most water-scarce regions in the world. Added to this, the threat of climate change has been compounding the situation, increasing the recurrence and severity of drought conditions in many of the NENA countries in recent years.

The efficient and urgent management of water resources through the use of improved and modern irrigation techniques are part of the solution to ensuring future of the NENA water and food security. It is also crucial for governments to strengthen their capacities to mitigate drought impacts and to establish proactive drought management plans that build societal resilience to this natural phenomenon.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),working jointly with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the United Nations Water-Programme on Capacity Development (DPC), organized in Cairo a Regional Workshop to support national drought management policies in the Near East and North Africa on 17-21 November 2014.

The workshop, held under the patronage of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, promoted the development of pro-active drought risk management plans as a part of an action plan to help reduce the impact of drought on member states. Participants got acquainted with the pillars of drought risk management, specifically monitoring and early warning systems, impact and vulnerability assessment, mitigation and response measures.

Participating countries agreed on the importance of creating enabling environments to build societal resilience to drought and noted the urgent need to empower societies at all levels, including natural resources managers, technicians and support providers and farmers to respond to and absorb the impact of droughts.

The workshop was planned within the FAO Regional Water Scarcity Initiative  that is promoting cooperation among NENA countries to sustainably improve agricultural productivity, through a better use and management of their scarce water resources.