Africa Drought Conference concluded with Windhoek Declaration

Windhoek, Namibia, 19 August, 2016 – African Drought Conference hosted by the government of Namibia ended with adaption of “The Windhoek Declaration for Enhancing Resilience to Drought in Africa” on 19 August. The declaration states the commitments to implement the Strategic Framework for Drought Risk Management and Enhancing Resilience in Africa; to establish a continent-wide African Network with national institutions for Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Systems; and to convene biennial African Drought Conference to be held concurrently with the African Drylands Week to consider progress of the implementation of the Strategy adopted in Windhoek in August 2016, in order to promote investment among others.

The conference was one of the distinct outcomes of the Namib Declaration adopted at the UNCCD COP 11/Decision 36 which emphasized a stronger UNCCD for land degradation neutrality with increasing focus on mitigating the impacts of droughts and the development of national drought policies. 

The UNCCD was a co-organizer of the conference and provided technical and financial support.

Read the Windhoek Declaration​

Read the op-ed by the UNCCD Executive Secretary (Inter Press Service) 

The Op-ed in Spanish

Other news coverage by Inter-Press Service: Arable Lands Lost at Unprecedented Rate: 33,000 Hectares… a Day!
in  Portuguese, Kiswahili

The conference opening​