The National Drought Management Policy Guidelines provide a template for action that countries can use in the development of a national drought management policy and drought preparedness/mitigation plans. The process is structured in 10 steps that can be adapted by countries to reflect their institutional, infrastructure, legal, socio-economic and environmental context.
The 10 steps in the development of a National Drought Management Policy
 | Appoint a national drought management policy commission |  | Identify research needs and fill institutional gaps |
 | State or define the goals and objectives of a risk-based national drought management policy |  | Integrate science and policy aspects of drought management |
 | Seek stakeholder participation; define and resolve conflicts between key water use sectors, considering also transboundary implications |  | Publicize the national drought management policy and preparedness plans and build public awareness and consensus |
 | Inventory data and financial resources available and identify groups at risk |  | Develop education programmes for all age and stakeholder groups |
 | Prepare/write the key tenets of the national drought management policy and preparedness plans, including the following elements: monitoring, early warning and prediction; risk and impact assessment; and mitigation and response |  | Evaluate and revise national drought management policy and supporting preparedness plans |
