By Marie-Aude Even (Senior Regional Agronomist), Michael Hamp (Lead Regional Specialist – Rural Finance, Market Access and Value Chain), Audrey Nepveu (Global specialist – Water & Rural infrastructure)
On September 11, the UNCCD secretariat dedicated the tenth day of COP14 to the theme of drought. The day brought together speakers to engage delegates in pro-active and gender sensitive drought management, present and discuss success and challenges of current tools and policies while IFAD contributed to the concluding session on resources mobilization.
UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw opened the day emphasizing that, "Drought is a major obstacle to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 15. Let us dust this villain, and mitigate climate change”. Rene Castro, FAO’s ADG for Climate, Biodiversity, Land and Water Department emphasized the “need to prepare, predict, plan. We need to work together across countries, UN agencies, NGOs, academia, indigenous and local communities, private sector, including family farmers and more”.
Drought day emphasized the importance of bringing women at the centre of drought integrated management. Deputy Minister of Environment of South Africa provided inspiring opening to engage all stakeholders to integrate fully gender in drought preparedness and management, highlighting that women empowerment and engagement can contribute to better drought management. The day then started with an all women panel on drought resilience, which featured representatives from science, policy and civil society. Men and women are differently affected by drought, men often having to migrate while women and children most often remain behind. Women need to be included in all process, actively engaged in restoration efforts and need to be given voice and tenure rights to benefit from restoration efforts.
Another session shared and discussed various integrated drought management plans while a full session was dedicated to present joint initiatives, launch publications and UNCCD toolbox that addresses drought monitoring and early warning; drought vulnerability assessment; and drought risk mitigation measures and a decision support tool.
Finally, the closing session brought together panellist from IFAD, World Bank and African Risk Capacity to discuss innovative ways to mobilize finances. Marie-Aude Even from IFAD provided first the draft framework from the finance working group of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture Water scarcity in agriculture program (WASAG). The framework provides three pillars: i) identify value that can be generated by investing in drought management and identify who benefits or suffers from it; ii) develop a de-risking strategy for each stakeholder, including insurance, risk mitigation and adaptation mechanisms and iii) mobilize other actors and finances. She then provided examples of how IFAD works on such different pillars: i) creating value through its investments; ii) working in partnership to develop insurance and guarantee mechanisms (examples of PARM, WRMF); iii) facilitating mobilization of inclusive finances for the rural poor, including innovative pro-poor public-private partnership and mobilization of remittances. She also reiterated the importance to leave no one behind and to identify mechanisms to ensure inclusion of poorer population, women and especially in most remote areas. She then provided example of the Upper tana water fund, which mobilizes downstream private sector actors to finances support to local agricultural communities in conserving upstream watershed. She concluded by evoking potential contribution of innovative digital financing in securing cash flow and facilitating engagement of various actors in water and landscape projects (example from CGAP).
Jean-claude Bidogeza, Lead Economist, Africa Risk Capacity, presented achievements of the initiative in supporting countries adopt early warning, contingency plans, insurance and accountability. Thirty-two insurance policies have been signed, and some countries already benefited from payouts. Challenges include difficulties for government to pay premiums, government turnover and limited regulatory frameworks.
Finally, Anupam Joshi, World Bank, provided World Bank experience in India in facilitating convergence of various welfare programmes at community level as well as mobilizing women self-help group to mobilize finance for water services. A similar approach has been used in various IFAD investments in India (see for instance CAIM completion report).