Human factors such as globalization, population growth, poverty, urbanization and changes in land use are aggravating the negative consequences of climatological, hydrological and meteorological hazards. Extreme climate events are also increasing these water-related disaster risks faced by populations living in vulnerable areas. The losses are increasing in both developed and developing countries, and in this inter-connected world, the impact of an event can immediately cross borders, leading to cascading consequences, even in areas that are remote from the event. Repeated exposure to disasters is hampering sustainable development in vulnerable localities.

In 2015, the international community agreed on three major accords: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (Paris Agreement). These agreements collectively present an urgent need and opportunity for action now and beyond. There are important connections among these agreements. The SDG on water and its related targets capture the many ways water is utilized, managed, treated and protected throughout the entire water cycle. These targets address pressing water-related issues including social vulnerability and water-related hazards due to intensified climate change as well as poverty, hunger and cities. These water issues are inter-related and interdependent and must be addressed in a systemic and global way to create a more water-secure world.

GEOSS/AWCI has stepped into the second phase. In March 2016, GEOSS/AWCI, in cooperation with the Network of the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO) and the International Flood Initiative (IFI), organized the "Asia Water Cycle Symposium (AWCS2016)" in Tokyo and adopted a new strategic implementation framework for addressing the floods and droughts. The objective of this breakout session will focus on how to substantially enhance water-related data collection efforts, employ data integration capabilities, and create and share actionable information for reducing flood and drought risks.

Co-Chairs:
   Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director, UNESCO
   Dr. Ali Chavoshian, Director, RCUWM, Iran
   Prof. Toshio Koike, Professor, University of Tokyo, Director, ICHARM

9:15-09:45	1. Opening GEOSS/AWCI Breakout Session
	1) Opening Address 2) Report on the AWCS2016	Co-Chairs ICHARM
09:45-10:15	2. Economic Effect of Water-related Disaster Risk Reduction [PDF 1.4MB]	Naoyuki YOSHINO, Dean, ADBI/ Prof. Emeritus, Keio University
10:15-10:30	Break
10:30-12:00	3. Observation, Data Integration and Information Dissemination 1) GEO Water [PDF 2.1MB] 2) Climate Risk Early Warning Systems (CREWS) 3) Regional Coordination of Science & Technology on Water [PDF 2.3MB] 4) Satellite Observations [PDF 9.1MB] 5) Water Cycle Observation Mission (WCOM) [PDF 2.2MB] 6) Flood Simulation [PDF 7.6MB] 7) Drought Monitoring & Prediction [PDF 21.9MB] 8) Data Integration [PDF 5.4MB]	GEOGLOWS WMO UNESCO JAXA CAS Takahiro Sayama, Associate Professor, Kyoto University Toshio Koike, U-Tokyo/ICHARM DIAS
12:00-13:00	Lunch Break
13:00-14:45	4. Floods 1) IFI Implementation Strategy [PDF 512KB] 2) National Status Reports     Indonesia [PDF 1.5MB]     Malaysia [PDF 6.8MB]     Myanmar [PDF 1.2MB]     Pakistan 1 [PDF 7.1MB], 2 [PDF 14.2MB], 3 [PDF 1.3MB]     Philippines 1 [PDF 6.1MB], 2 [PDF 2.8MB], 3 [PDF 3.6MB]     Sri Lanka 1 [PDF 1.5MB], 2 [PDF 2.0MB], 3 [PDF 13.9MB]	IFI Secretariat National Representatives
14:45-15:30	5. Droughts 1) Scoping and Planning IDI [PDF 3.9MB] 2) ESCAP Regional Drought Mechanism 1 [PDF 3.2MB], 2 [PDF 309KB]	IDI Secretariat ESCAP
15:30-16:00	6. Collaboration with Development Organizations 1) World Bank [PDF 261KB] 2) Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
16:00-16:15	Break
16:15-17:15	7. Discussion towards Promoting Inter-linkages [PDF 1.9MB] 1) Needs, Issues and Benefits 2) Linkage to Regional and Global Coordination Framework 3) Building Capacity 4) Planning Strategy
17:15-17:30	8. Closing GEOSS/AWCI Breakout Session 1) Session Summary 2) Concluding Remarks