Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 8 July 2024

FAO and PMD will Host Scientific Forum on Flash Droughts and Early Warning Systems

Islamabad, Pakistan - July 8, 2024 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Pakistan (FAOPK), in collaboration with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), will convene a Scientific Forum to address the emerging challenge of flash droughts and enhance early warning systems (EWS) for disaster preparedness on 10 July 2024 in the City of Islamabad.

Under the ECHO-funded Pilot Programmatic Partnership (PPP), FAOPK is spearheading efforts to integrate anticipatory action (AA) into Disaster Risk Management (DRM) planning in Sindh province, focusing on districts prone to droughts like Tharparkar, Umerkot, and Dadu. This initiative aims to strengthen local capacities and integrate AA protocols into government DRM frameworks, thus enhancing resilience against climate-induced shocks.

The forum will feature presentations by international experts on innovative approaches such as the South Asia Drought Monitoring System (SADMS), and Earth-observation-based composite drought indices tailored for Pakistan's agricultural landscape, as well as recommendations to enhance decision-making capabilities of practitioners, and provide guidance to humanitarians in anticipatory action attempting to account for flash drought in drought preparedness and response plans.

Discussion will explore the potential of integrating dynamic vulnerability indicators and satellite-derived data to enhance predictive accuracy and inform timely humanitarian interventions.

For further information:

Mr. Naeem Iqbal, naeem.iqbal@fao.org

National Project Coordinator, ECHO-PPP project 

FAO Pakistan