The impacts of drought on societies, ecosystems and economies are profound, widespread, and often underestimated. Drought is a recurring and natural climatic phenomenon. However, climate change is exacerbating droughts by disrupting rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures and intensifying evaporation rates. As a result, many regions are experiencing an increase in the frequency, severity and duration of droughts. 

In partnership with Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), Cap-Net UNDP, World Meteorological Organization, Global Water Partnership, and the Volta Flood and Drought Management project, the UNEP-DHI Centre has developed an online course on Integrated Drought Management: Monitoring and Early Warning. The new 2024 edition of the course is now available through the Cap-Net UNDP’s Virtual Campus.  

The course highlights the three pillars of proactive integrated drought management for successful drought policy and implementation: monitoring and early warning; vulnerability and impact assessment; and preparedness, mitigation and response. In addition to gaining deeper understanding of the life cycle and common impacts of drought and its linkage to climate change, participants will be equipped with available tools and products that can be used for drought monitoring and forecasting, as well as impact assessment.  

There are four modules in the course and participants will receive a certificate issued by the course organizers upon completion of all modules. Each module provides participants with engaging resources, including valuable and updated readings, videos, suggested websites, real world examples and interactive forum discussions to enhance the learning experience. The modules are as follows: 

Module 1: Drought concept and risk management approaches 

Module 2: Introduction to indices and indicators for drought monitoring 

Module 3: Selecting relevant indices and indicators for your region 

Module 4: Practical application of drought monitoring and forecasting tools 

This online, free and self-paced course is open to anyone who wants to enhance their skills in integrated drought management. Participants are expected to have previous knowledge of the basic science behind climate change and the water cycle. The course is open for enrolment until November 15, 2024. It is available in English and French languages.