GENEVA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Given the serious drought gripping the United States and its ripple effects on global food markets, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) held a press conference Tuesday to call on all nations to develop more coordinated and proactive polices to manage drought risks.

The United States is enduring the worst drought it has experienced since 1895 and 63 percent of the country has been affected by moderate to exceptional drought as of the end of July, according to Mannava Sivakumar, director of the WMO's Climate Prediction and Adaptation branch.

Apart from the United States, India is also going through a serious drought and rainfall there is 70 percent below normal countrywide, which could have a major impact on food production.

While in Mexico, 2.5 million people have suffered from droughts, and some areas of south-eastern Europe such as Romania and Slovenia saw temperatures rise and water deficits, said Sivakumar.

"Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of droughts, with impacts on many sectors, in particular food, water, health and energy," WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud said.

"We need to move away from a piecemeal, crisis-driven approach and develop integrated risk-based national drought policies."

Sivakumar said only Australia has legal drought policy and the advantage of a "policy" compared with a "plan" is that national action is required no matter who is in political power.

The WMO, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and other partners are organizing a high-level meeting on national drought policy from March 11 to 15 in 2013. Enditem

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