Early Warnings for All intiative (EW4All): December 2023 updates
COP28 showcased commitment and progress of the EW4All initiative
The EW4All initiative was prominently featured at the COP28 in Dubai from 01 – 12 December. Over the course of 12 days, 35 EW4All-related events took place, with participants and stakeholders from around the world coming together to address opportunities and challenges in strengthening global early warning capabilities. The EW4All engagement at COP28 promoted the scale-up of end-to-end early warning systems, showcasing significant progress in countries including South Sudan, Mauritius, and Tonga. The results and advancements of the initiative were prominently featured at the COP28 Presidency event, attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Alongside the high-level events, numerous technical side events showcased various aspects of early warning systems. These events collectively contributed to fostering a comprehensive dialogue on the technical aspects and critical importance of strengthening and scaling up global early warning capabilities.
Mark your calendar
Mauritius national workshop
19 - 20 December, Port Louis
Burundi national workshop and Pillar 1 workshop
TBD, February 2024, Gitega
EW4ALL country implementation
Africa
First Pillar 1 Workshop took place in Ethiopia on December 12-14
Ethiopia’s Disaster Risk Management Commission (EDRMC), in cooperation with the United Nations Country Team and UNDRR, convened a technical workshop from December 12-14, 2023, with over 50 technical experts from across 25 organizations and 12 regions, to chart the next phase of implementation for the government’s Roadmap for Multi-Hazard, Impact-based, Early Warning and Early Action System. The Roadmap outlines four change pathways aligned to the four pillars of EW4All. The technical workshop brought together EW4All partners to plot out actions to make better use of risk knowledge to further strengthen national, sub-national and community-based early warning systems. One such EW4All partnership is with Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence for Good team, who joined the technical workshop to identify opportunities to leverage AI innovations – especially how to accelerate the use of more dynamic risk exposure data to enable tailored early warning messages to communities most at risk. Other private sector partners such as Planet also participated to showcase digital innovations that can improve local-level disaster risk profiling. Activities were identified to strengthen the Emergency Coordination Centres and national situation room, including through risk information flows between Ethiopia and the AUC and IGAD’s Integrated Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC). The technical workshop also offered the opportunity to pre-test with national stakeholders the CIMA Handbook on the Application of Risk Knowledge for EWS and receive invaluable feedback on this core product under Pillar 1 of EW4All.
Uganda National EW4All Workshop and Water @ Heart Launch 15-17 November
The launch was hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Uganda Ministry of Water and Environment, the Uganda National Meteorological Authority. It brought together around 90 people for the launch of the EW4All Initiative and the Water at the Heart of Climate Action (W@CA) in Entebbe, Uganda between 15-17th November. The overall status of MHEWS in Uganda, as well as gaps, key stakeholders, and priorities for the future were identified, including on the development of a national roadmap for action.
Mozambique National Workshop 20-22 November
The national launch of the EW4All initiative was held in Maputo, Mozambique convened by the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) with support from the National Meteorological Institute (INAM). The national launch benefited from the participation of over 100 stakeholders, representing government, academia, civil society, development/humanitarian partners (UN/NGOs), donors, private sector, and the media. The event led to the completion of the stakeholder mapping, gap analysis, prioritization of key needs, definition of coordination mechanism, and planning for the roadmap development. Follow up support will be provided to the national pillar leads in Q1 2024 to finalize the national roadmap.
South Sudan National EW4All Workshop and Water @ Heart Launch 20-22 November
The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hon. Pal Mai Deng, presided over the Launch of EW4All and W@CA in South Sudan. The event was also attended by Hon. Albino Bol Atak Mayom, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and H.E. Ambassador Marjan Schippers, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to South Sudan. Like in Uganda, the status of MHEWS in country was scoped and the findings used to help contextualize EW4All to the local realities, including the identification of actions to be taken up by the W@CA project.
Arab States
Somalia National Workshop convened between the 15-16 November
On 15–16 November 2023, a national consultation on EW4All was convened by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management in cooperation with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT). The workshop provided valuable insights into the current state of readiness for implementing early warning systems across all four pillars and gap analysis exercise was successfully finalized. There was an interest in the establishment of a national stakeholder coordination mechanism, and a shared commitment among national stakeholders to continue discussions and make informed decisions collaboratively. National stakeholders endorsed the formulation of a common agenda for EW4All achievement in Somalia to be prepared over the next four to five months and covering the period 2024-2027. Additionally, a tentative date for a pillar 1 workshop in Somalia was set for Q1 of 2024.
Comoros EW4All workshop – May 2024
The EW workshop in Comoros has been postponed until May 2024 at the recommendation of the RC office because of the upcoming elections in Comoros, which begin in January 2024. Although inter-pillar coordination has already taken place, the new dates for the workshop will be notified by the RCO Comoros soon.
Djibouti EW4ALL workshop - TBC
Djibouti EW launch workshop will also be held in first quarter of 2024. It is subject to confirmation from the Government focal point.
Tunisia EW4All workshop convened 9-10 November
Building on the EW4All initiative, stakeholders in Tunisia have come together to help strengthen hydromet and early warning systems for the country. On 9-10 November, the country-led, multi-actor EWS committee was convened the National Institute for Meteorology (INM) and National Office for Civil Protection (ONPC) to review and take stock of the key challenges and possible solutions to achieve EW4All in Tunisia. Besides participating in the discussions, WMO provided technical trainings and technical advice on MHEWS. The outcomes of the workshop will orient World Bank and other partner investments in the country. Continued technical support will be provided to the multi-actor EWS committee.
Asia & Pacific
Bangladesh National Workshop 17-18 November
The Government of Bangladesh, led by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) and in coordination with various ministries, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), and UN RCO, held the National Consultation Workshop for EW4All on 17-18 November. The workshop outcomes included an initial pillar-wise gap analysis for each of the four pillars, completed with support of the four global pillar leads, namely UNDRR, WMO, ITU, and IFRC, and a set of draft key strategic actions to take forward quickly. In addition, it was agreed that a roadmap would be developed in early 2024. The findings of the workshop were presented at COP28, where the Government of Bangladesh again reiterated their commitment to achieving the aims of the EW4All initiative over the next 5 years.
Lao PDR National EW4ALL draft roadmap sharing and consultation meeting, 21 November
The Government of Lao PDR, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) drafted a national roadmap and held a consultation meeting among the stakeholders. MONRE works closely with the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MOLSW) to finalize the roadmap with the estimation of costing, and plan to have the document endorsed formally in early 2024 for an official roll-out. Lao PDR’s progress on the roadmap was shared at the COP28 where the representatives from MONRE and MOLSW attended.
Regional Inter-Pillar Meeting 29 November
On 29 November, the four regional pillar leads—UNDRR, WMO, ITU, and IFRC—were joined by UN ESCAP representatives to discuss the progress of the EW4All initiative in 2023 and the next steps for 2024. Strong progress was made in conducting the workshops for all five countries in South and Southeast Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Maldives, and Nepal). In addition, there was recognition that at the regional level, coordination among the four pillars and partner agencies has been critical to success. However, it was recognized that there needed to be increased engagement with additional UN Agencies, INGOs, and other relevant partners moving forward. Moreover, the commitment was made for continued coordination and building on the success of 2023 and the presentations at COP 28 to strengthen the initiative’s achievements in 2024.
Latin America & the Caribbean
Haiti National Workshop and gap analysis 29-30 November
The inaugural two-day national launch workshop for the EW4All initiative brought together key stakeholders, national institutions, and pillar leads to engage in discussions regarding the needs and opportunities for reinforcing the country's early warning systems. Through collaborative efforts, the workshop successfully identified gaps, paving the way for enhancing the effectiveness of early warning systems across the country.
Antigua and Barbuda National Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction12-13 December
On 12th and 13th December, Antigua and Barbuda hosted its first national consultation hybrid meeting, marking a significant step forward in facilitating active participation from regional partners such as ITU, CDEMA, CARPHA, and many others. The meeting, which aimed to advance disaster risk reduction efforts, saw productive deliberations and strong national representation.
Europe & Central Asia
Roadmap for Tajikistan has been finalised
The EW4A National Implementation Roadmap for Tajikistan has been finalised and shared with national counterparts for their assessment and review. Local and national workshops are scheduled for Q1/Q2 2024 to formally endorse the Roadmap and start the implementation of the Action Plan.
EW4All COP28 EVENTS
December 01: Artificial Intelligence: unlocking the potential of Early Warning Systems
Organized by the recently created AI for EW4all sub-group, this session allowed partners from the public and private sector to highlight the potential of AI, including in Ecuador to support the achievement of the EW4all initiative. This included showcasing potential use cases and applications of AI to produce better disaster risk knowledge, build efficient monitoring, forecasting and observation systems, improve warning dissemination and communication, and strengthen preparedness and response capabilities. At the same time, participants discussed ways of strengthening the EW4All coherence and linkages between Pillars to improve the overall structure of the Initiative.
December 02: Adaptation Fund: Making lasting impacts in vulnerable countries while reducing disasters
Organized by the Adaptation Fund (AF), this official event highlighted lessons learned and successes from Adaptation Fund-funded Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning System projects, based on the fund’s new study: “Strengthening Resilience through Disaster Risk Reduction and Early Warning Systems Interventions: Experiences and Lessons Learned from the Adaptation Fund Portfolio”, which is AF’s contribution to EW4All. Panellists included WMO and UNFCCC. WMO presented merits of regional and basin-wide approaches based on projects in the Volta Basin and South America (ENANDES). UNFCCC representative shared the plan of Pillar 1 activity on TEC-GEO policy product on innovation, which will draw insights from the fund’s report. Recording is available here.
December 03: COP28 Presidency event: Delivering Early Warnings for All
The UN and COP-28 presidency came together to show progress on EW4All and make a call for accelerated support to ensure universal MHEWS coverage by 2027. The report on the 2023 Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems was launched during this event. The Early Warnings for All Dashboard was also launched in the context of the event, providing a holistic understanding of the current status of early warning systems to help channel investments to close the gaps.
December 03: Strengthening Risk Knowledge in Early Warnings for All
Hosted at the UAE Pavilion, this event brought together speakers from national governments, the private sector, and civil society to highlight risk knowledge as a means of enhancing the quality, targeting and effectiveness of early warning systems. Alongside insightful engagement from the session’s panelists, stressing the critical need of investing in risk knowledge, the CIMA Foundation presented the Pillar 1 Handbook on Strengthening the Use of Risk Knowledge. The handbook will serve as a central resource in the next phase of the Pillar 1 roll-out and was positively received by audience and panelists.
December 04: Making the Early Warnings for All Initiative a reality in fragile and vulnerable contexts
Hosted at the Climate Mobility Pavilion, with thanks to IOM, the event showcased: the diversity of EWS in fragile contexts, the frameworks for collaboration, and linkages to finance to accelerate EW4All in fragile contexts. The event builds on the work by the UNDRR-WMO Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience to develop a handbook to guide EW4All implementation in fragile and vulnerable contexts. Alongside the discussions the policy paper on the same subject was launched, as an input to the COP-28 discussions.
December 04: Digital connectivity and technologies for Early Warnings for All
Organized as part of ITU’s Green Digital Action Track, this session emphasized the potential of digital technologies for the achievement of the EW4all initiative, in particular in terms of last-mile connectivity and reaching communities at risk. During the session, GSMA, the global association of mobile network operators (MNOs) and several MNOs announced a concrete commitment to support the implementation of mobile early warning systems. At the same time, GSOA, the Global Satellite Operator’s Association and its members, expressed their support to the EW4all initiative by enhancing innovation in early warning systems, in particular direct-to-handset services.
December 05: Stock take on Tech – Where is AI and how can it make us climate disaster resilient?
Organized by ITU Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management, this event brought together speakers from ITU, WMO, UNEP, GCF and GEO to look at how AI is currently being used by these partner organizations. They also talked about opportunities that AI can bring to ramp up the efforts under EW4All including through its AI-subgroup as well as technical, ethical and legal challenges to be addressed.
December 05: Scaling up early warning systems: A comparative experience of regional leadership and cross sectoral collaboration
CDEMA, in collaboration with REAP and UNDRR, brought together regional bodies from around the globe to engage in a dialogue aimed at enhancing cross-regional learning. Acknowledging the pivotal role that regional bodies play in translating the global ambitions of EW4All into tangible outcomes at the national level, this discussion served as a central platform for promoting collaboration and the exchange of best practices.
December 06: Technology and Innovation for Improving disaster risk knowledge: GEO and UNFCCC TEC join forces to support Early Warnings for All
Hosted by the Space Pavilion by UAE Space Agency and other major space agencies, the event highlighted the role of space technologies and satellite imageries in improving disaster risk management and climate resilience with country perspectives from small island developing states. Speakers included representatives from CREWS Secretariat, UNFCCC TEC and GEO. The talk offered insights from relevant CREWS projects while sharing ongoing work under EW4All Pillar 1, aimed at showcasing tools and technologies that could assist developing countries in formulating scientifically-sound and evidence-based climate policies, plans and funding proposals and implementing them on the ground.
December 08: Preparing for climate change through multi-hazard early warning systems
During this session, organized by the Inter-American Development Bank, the focus was on the significance of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems in mitigating disaster risks. The discussion featured Ecuador as a case study, showcasing its successful enhancement of the national warning network through collaboration with the IDB. The central theme of the session underscored the imperative of adopting a rights-based approach and fostering regional cooperation in developing and strengthening Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems.
December 09: UNFCCC Technology Mechanism High Level Event on Artificial Intelligence for Climate Action
Organized by UNFCCCC TEC and CTCN in collaboration with the COP28 Presidency of UAE, this event under the #AI4ClimateAction brought together leaders from governments, the UN, development cooperation agencies and business to discuss how AI can be used for transformational climate action in developing nations, while ensuring that it does not contribute to widening the digital divide caused by unequal access to technology. In the context of EW4All, GEO highlighted the existing use cases of remote sensing and AI to provide disk risk reduction knowledge on EW for flood and drought/crop failure in LDCs, such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Malawi. GEO also shared its ongoing work on Pillar 1 policy product with TEC as well as new effort in collaboration with WMO on global heat resilience service. TEC also launched the AI Innovation Grand Challenge to identify and support the development of AI-powered solutions for climate action in developing countries. IISD summary is available here.
December 10: Water at the Heart of Climate Action
Hosted at the Benelux EIB Pavilion, the session underlined the need to put water at the heart of climate action, by integrating water-related initiatives with global and national policies on climate and disaster risk reduction. The speakers highlighted interagency cooperation as a must for systemic change enhancing coordination, cooperation, and action across governments and with local authorities, as well as emphasized locally led intervention as the way forward. The importance of putting communities at the centre of interventions was emphasised as a key strategy to reduce their vulnerabilities and strengthening its capacities. The Water at the Heart of Climate Action programme was launched in September 2023 with the funding and support of the Kingdom of Netherlands as and effort to integrate the water-related initiatives with global and national policies on climate and disaster risk reduction. It also delivers result for the “Early Warning for All” -initiative.
In case you missed it
Recent SOFF updates:
Release/launch of the SOFF Action Report 2023 at COP.
Six countries moving to investment phase. SOFF 6SC on 27th November approved SOFF support amounting to 30.5M USD. 4 out of 6 countries are part of the EW4All Initiative initial group of countries
Decision on a potential expansion of SOFF support to MICs postponed to next year, SOFF Secretariat will hold consultations with SC members to finalize a phased and prioritized expansion to MICs.
Framework for collaboration for enhancing systematic observation developed between the SOFF Secretariat and the Secretariats 5 multi-lateral climate funds that are members of SOFF governance structure: AF, CIF, CREWS, GCF, GEF
New funding announced at COP by some of the SOFF existing funders, raising current SOFF pledges to 79M USD and potentially reaching 85M in January subject to final approval. SOFF funding targets still unmet and additional resource mobilization efforts are needed.
Recap of contributions to EW4All through CREWS so far at COP (in USD):
Luxembourg, new 1.8 M
France committed to 9 M annual contribution for ´coming years’.
UK 6.4 M
Other contributions this year are Switzerland 2 M Canada 3 M and Monaco 0.5 M
Norway 5 M
Austria 3.5 M