Don Wilhite, climatologist and professor, delivered the keynote presentation at the High-level Workshop on Drought Policies on May 16 in Fortaleza, Brazil. The workshop was organized as part of the program of the Third International Climate Change Adaptation Conference.
"The workshop presents a follow-up activity to the High-level Meeting on National Drought Policy that took place in Geneva, Switzerland in March 2013," Wilhite said.
That meeting was convened by the World Meteorological Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification. Wilhite chaired the international organizing committee for this meeting and presented the keynote address.
The Workshop on Drought Policies is being convened by the Brazilian Ministry of National Integration, the Center for Strategic Studies and the World Bank. Brazil is currently moving forward with the development of a national drought policy. Wilhite and the National Drought Mitigation Center are assisting with the policy development process.
"The International Climate Change Adaptation Conference will focus on climate impacts and adaptation options," Wilhite said. "It will bring together scientists, decision makers and practitioners from developed and developing countries to share research approaches, methods and results. The conference will also explore the way forward in a world where impacts are increasingly observable and adaptation actions are increasingly required."
— Mekita Rivas, Natural Resources