Category: Drought Management, Climate Resilience, Knowledge Exchange, Capacity Building
Target Group: Drought practitioners, policymakers, researchers, water managers, climate experts
Main Partners: WMO, GWP
Date: 16 June 2026
Activity Type: Virtual Exchange, Expert presentations, Knowledge sharing
The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) hosted the Virtual Exchange “Drought, Heat, and Fire: The Growing Challenge of Compound Risks,” bringing together experts from NOAA, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Cemaden (Brazil), and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
The event explored drought through a systemic risk lens, highlighting how drought increasingly interacts with heatwaves and wildfires to create compound events and cascading impacts across ecosystems, water resources, food systems, infrastructure, and communities. Presentations covered topics including compound and systemic risk, heat risk governance, drought in Amazonia, and wildfire monitoring through the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) and the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS).
The Virtual Exchange also featured a Marketplace session showcasing innovative initiatives, including a subnational drought monitoring observatory, the Regional Center for Training and Water Studies, and the Cooling Efficiency Factor Index (CEFI), a new satellite-based drought impact indicator for research and operational monitoring.
Role of the GWP CEE: As a key partner supporting the implementation of the global Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), GWP Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE) contributed to the organization and facilitation of the Virtual Exchange, supporting knowledge exchange and dialogue on emerging drought challenges and resilience.