Task Team on Early Warnings for All – World Meteorological Organization WMO

Report on the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Initiative and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Strategic Context

On World Meteorological Day 2022, the United Nations Secretary-General launched the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative. This action aims to ensure universal protection through Early Warning Systems by 2027. The initiative represents a critical implementation of the 2030 Agenda, directly contributing to key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) by enhancing adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards. It also supports SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by mitigating the impacts of disasters on lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.

Pillar Structure and SDG Linkages

The EW4All initiative is structured around four interconnected pillars, exemplifying the collaborative approach of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The strategic alignment is managed by the EW4All Advisory Panel, co-chaired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

1. Pillar 1: Risk Knowledge and Management: Led by UNDRR, this pillar focuses on understanding and managing disaster risks. This is fundamental to achieving SDG 11 by making communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
2. Pillar 2: Detection, Observation, Monitoring, Analysis, and Forecasting: Led by WMO with support from UNDP, UNESCO, and UNEP, this pillar enhances the technical capacity to monitor hazards. It directly supports SDG 13 by strengthening the scientific foundation for climate adaptation and SDG 2 by providing crucial information for agricultural planning.
3. Pillar 3: Warning Dissemination and Communication: Led by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), this pillar ensures that warnings reach all affected populations, including the most vulnerable. This work is crucial for inclusive action and supports multiple SDGs by ensuring equitable access to life-saving information.
4. Pillar 4: Preparedness and Response: Led by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), this pillar builds response capabilities at the community level. This directly contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 by empowering communities to act on warnings, thereby saving lives and reducing disaster impacts.

Role of the Research Board

The Research Board acknowledges that achieving the ambitious goals of the EW4All initiative requires a strong scientific foundation. Research is essential for prospective risk reduction and effective early action, thereby accelerating progress towards the SDGs. Key recognitions include:

• WMO-sponsored research programs are relevant to all four pillars of the initiative.
• The transition from research to operational products is a multi-year process that must be accelerated.
• Hazard knowledge and solutions must be tailored to local contexts, capacities, and resources.
• Successful regional innovations must be systematically captured and shared to benefit other regions.

The Board concluded that research can significantly contribute to the 2027 goal by identifying, understanding, and propagating best practices throughout the early warning value cycle.

Key Objectives and Tasks of the Task Team (TT-EW4All)

The TT-EW4All is tasked with aligning and amplifying research activities to support the initiative. Its objectives are central to ensuring that early warning systems are effective, inclusive, and scientifically robust, in line with the principles of the SDGs.

1. Coordinate across WMO research programs and bodies to identify where targeted physical and social science research can support the development of effective multi-hazard early warning systems.
2. Identify emerging and future hazards from current research, such as compound, cascading, or cryosphere-related risks, to support the development of novel monitoring systems. This forward-looking approach is vital for long-term climate adaptation under SDG 13.
3. Engage in communication and partnership-building through international forums, reinforcing the collaborative spirit of SDG 17.
4. Provide regular progress reports to the Research Board and seek its guidance for strategic alignment.

Priority Criteria for Implementation

To ensure maximum impact and alignment with the “leave no one behind” principle of the SDGs, priority will be given to activities that demonstrate successful innovation across the national and regional weather and climate enterprise. Additional criteria include:

• A strategic focus on the 30 initial countries identified by the UN Secretary-General to support the most vulnerable nations first.
• Prioritization of research that can produce actionable outcomes in the short term, directly contributing to the EW4All Initiative’s 2027 target and making immediate progress on climate resilience goals.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 1: No Poverty

  The article’s focus on early warning systems is directly linked to protecting vulnerable populations from disasters that can destroy livelihoods and assets, pushing people into poverty. By aiming to protect everyone, the initiative supports building the resilience of the poor against climate-related extreme events.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The initiative aims to make communities safer and more resilient. Effective early warning systems are a cornerstone of disaster risk reduction in human settlements, helping to reduce deaths, the number of people affected, and economic losses caused by disasters.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  This is the most central SDG. The “Early Warnings for All” initiative is a direct climate adaptation strategy. It aims to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters, such as those “arising from a retreating cryosphere,” as mentioned in the article.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article explicitly details a multi-stakeholder partnership to achieve the initiative’s goals. It names several UN agencies (WMO, UNDRR, UNDP, UNESCO, UNEP, ITU) and the IFRC as leaders of the four pillars, showcasing a global partnership to mobilize knowledge and expertise for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 1.5:

  By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters. The initiative’s goal to protect “everyone on Earth” directly contributes to this target by providing the tools to mitigate the impact of hazards on vulnerable people.

• Target 11.5:

  By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses… caused by disasters… with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. The entire purpose of an early warning system is to achieve these reductions.

• Target 13.1:

  Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The EW4All initiative is a primary mechanism for achieving this target by ensuring populations can prepare for and respond to climate-related hazards.

• Target 13.3:

  Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. The initiative is a direct implementation of the “early warning” component of this target, focusing on building “effective multi-hazard early warning institutions, infrastructures and processes.”

• Target 17.16:

  Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships… The article describes the structure of such a partnership, with WMO, UNDRR, ITU, and IFRC leading different pillars, demonstrating a collaborative approach to achieving a global goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Coverage of Early Warning Systems:

  The article’s central goal is to ensure “everyone on Earth is protected by Early Warning Systems within five years.” This implies a key indicator is the percentage or number of the global population, particularly in vulnerable countries, covered by effective multi-hazard early warning systems.

• Number of Countries with Implemented Systems:

  The text mentions a focus on “the 30 initial countries identified by the UN SG.” Progress can be measured by the number of these countries that successfully build and implement “effective multi-hazard early warning institutions, infrastructures and processes.”

• Functionality of the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership:

  The detailed description of the four pillars led by different international bodies (WMO, UNDRR, ITU, IFRC) implies that the operational status and successful coordination of this partnership is an indicator of progress. The article notes that the TT-EW4All will “Regularly report progress to the Research Board,” which serves as a mechanism for this measurement.

• Integration of Research into Operations:

  The article emphasizes the role of research in identifying “emerging and future hazards” and propagating “best practices.” An implied indicator is the number of research outcomes and innovations that are successfully transitioned into actionable operational early warning products, especially in the short term.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators’ to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: wmo.int