Often referred to as a “creeping phenomenon,” drought events have widespread and cascading effects on a wide range of sectors, resulting in economic, agricultural and public health challenges across the globe.
To prepare professionals and decisionmakers with the skills needed to address the growing challenges associated with drought, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Global Water Partnership (GWP) and World Meteorological Association (WMO) have launched a new online course featuring expert contributions from Jesse Bell, DWFI’s Director of Water, Climate, and Health. Expert also included partners from the National Drought Mitigation Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Launched in early December 2025 at the UNCCD’s CRIC23 conference in Panama City, Panama, the free course, Drought Risk and Impact Assessment, features six interactive learning modules from cross-sector experts designed to prepare participants to conduct drought risk and impact assessments. Dr. Bell’s contributions to the course focus on the broad public health impacts of drought seen across the globe, including associations with increased respiratory, gastrointestinal and mental health impacts.
In its first two weeks, the course attracted nearly 300 participants across the globe, underscoring the growing commitment to drought resilience. A third course further highlighting the many health impacts of drought will be released later this year with additional contributions from faculty within the DWFI's Water, Climate and Health Program.
Explore the course » https://droughtclp.unccd.int/course/drought-risk-and-impact-assessment.
