The publication “An Introduction to Integrated Drought Management (IDM)” was developed by the UNESCO Regional Centre on Urban Water Management (UNESCO-RCUWM) and the International Drought Initiative (UNESCO-IDI).
It addresses drought and highlights how drought events have increased in severity and frequency, especially under the influence of climate change. Traditional reactive strategies for managing drought have proven costly and often ineffective, leading to significant economic, social, and environmental impacts in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Spain.
To overcome these challenges, the publication advocates for a proactive, risk-based approach to drought management, moving beyond crisis response to strategies that reduce risk and build resilience. This approach is embodied in the concept of Integrated Drought Management (IDM), developed under the global Integrated Drought Management Program (IDMP).
IDM combines multiple components such as drought monitoring and early warning systems, vulnerability and risk assessment, and risk mitigation and response planning.
This publication – available in Farsi – aims to support policy makers, water managers, and stakeholders by introducing a modern, integrated framework for managing drought more effectively. The materials of the book were extracted from 28 references, including IDMP, WMO & GWP, UNCCD, IPCC, Cap-Net UNDP, and World Bank.
The RCUWM has translated and published two more books on drought management in Farsi:
- ارزیابی مدیریت و ریسک خشکسالی
Drought Risk Assessment and Management
Vogt, J. V., Naumann, G., Masante, D., Spinoni, J., Cammalleri, C., Erian, W., … & Barbosa, P. (2018). Drought risk assessment and management: A conceptual framework.
- ارزیابی خطر و ریسک خشکسالی
Assessing Drought Hazard and Risk
World Bank, 2019. Assessing Drought Hazard and Risk: Principles and Implementation Guidance. Washington, DC: World Bank.
More information on the series of publications.
IDMP supports the release of similar books, related to IDM and/or its three pillars, in local languages to promote IDM concepts globally.
The International Drought Initiative (IDI)
The International Drought Initiative (IDI) is a proposed global platform aimed at improving how the world anticipates, prepares for, manages, and adapts to droughts. It is designed to bring together governments, international organizations, scientific institutions, and non-governmental actors to coordinate efforts on drought risk management at regional and global levels.