Session objectives

1. To deliver on the call by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to protect everyone on Earth against increasingly extreme weather through early warning systems within the next 5 years and other international agreement related to Early Warning Systems.  
2. To contribute to a road map for scaled-up action on early warning systems and reach related targets towards UNFCCC COP27, in Egypt. 
3. Invite commitments and engage partners to accelerate progress towards scaling-up early warning systems. 

Speakers

• Mr. Selwin Charles Hart | Special Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action - United Nations
• Prof. Petteri Taalas | Secretary-General – WMO (via live video link)
• Ms Luísa Celma Caetano Meque | National Institute of Disaster Management - Mozambique
• Mr. Sameh Wahba | Global Director, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice – World Bank
• H.E. Ambassador Vincent Piket | Head of Delegation to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam – European Union 
• Mr. Stéphane Pailler | Head Climate and Environment Division, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs - France  
• Mr. Ken O’Flaherty | COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia - UK 
• Mr Franz Breitwieser | Director, Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Background & Context

During the World Meteorological Day 2022, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled an ambitious target - “to protect everyone on Earth against increasingly extreme weather through early warning systems within the next 5 years”. This announcement highlighted the importance of early warnings that enable early action as critical tools to combat disaster risk and support climate adaptation.  

The Third Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference will identify key gaps, needs and priorities in the whole early warning value chain. It will take stock of countries’ capacities regarding observations, monitoring, prediction, warning, communication and ability to take early action.  Achieving global coverage of early warning systems will only be possible if all actors across the early warning to early action value chain raise their ambition and accelerate action together 

Strengthening programmes on early warning systems is linked to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in line with several international agreements/frameworks such as the Sendai Framework and the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, which aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change through appropriate financial flows, new technology and enhanced capacity building frameworks.   

The High-Level panel will bring together country, financing organizations and partner representatives to engage and identify how scaled-up action can help deliver early warning systems based on a strong data foundation that reach all populations at risk from extreme weather and human-induced climate events within the next 5 years. Through interactive discussions, the panel will reflect on progress in the implementation and sustainability of early warning systems. The session will invite commitments for scaled-up investment on early warnings that enable early action. 

The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), a digital format for exchanging emergency alerts, allows a consistent alert message to be disseminated simultaneously over multiple communications pathways. By normalizing alert data across threats, jurisdictions, and warning systems, CAP also can be used to detect trends and patterns in warning activity, such as trends that might indicate an undetected hazard or hostile act. From a procedural perspective, CAP reinforces a research-based template for effective warning message content and structure.

A single emergency alert can trigger a variety of public warning systems, increasing the likelihood that people receive the alert by one or more communication pathways. 

The Common Alerting Protocol can:

• Add rich multimedia such as photographs, maps, streaming video and audio
• Geographically target emergency alerts to a defined warning area. This is limited only by the capacity of the delivery system used.
• Serve the needs of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or low vision
• Send alerts in multiple languages

CAP Benefits

As more systems are built or upgraded to CAP, a single alert can trigger a wide variety of public warning systems, increasing the likelihood that intended recipients receive the alert by one or more communication pathways. CAP also provides the capability to include rich content, such as photographs, maps, streaming video and more. It enables geo-targeting alerts to a defined warning area, limited only by the capacity of the delivery system used.

Session objective

Early warning is not effective unless it leads to anticipatory action that reaches the most vulnerable and at risk people in the hardest to reach places to save lives, reduce impact on livelihoods and loss and damage on infrastructures. The objectives of the session are to demonstrate the benefits of anticipatory action on the ground and the need for risk-informed preparedness for response actions that ensure the safety and dignity of all people. The session will demonstrate the benefits when organisations invest in institutional preparedness capacities, collaborate closely with the communities at risk on identifying suitable early actions, and engage with national authorities and national meteorological services, civil protection agencies to link early warning and early action with longer term risk-informed humanitarian response and resilience building. The panellists will highlight examples of engaging the local communities on adapting appropriate early warning messages and platforms, and connecting them to  national hydrometeorological agencies’ and other service providers (e.g. tsunami service providers) capacities to issue threat information/alerts  as well as impact-based forecasting information/products. The session will also touch upon strengthening the institutional preparedness through developing and revising contingency plans/standard operating procedures, strategically pre-positioning stocks in high-risk areas, employing effective procurement and logistics management systems and procedures enabling anticipatory action. In addition, the session will discuss the need to be able to access flexible humanitarian ex-ante financing which has been critical to ensure readiness activities and anticipatory action take place prior to the hazard impact. Finally, the session will identify areas where collaboration is needed among  warning centres, civil protection agencies, humanitarian and development agencies, climate and academic sectors. 

Expected outcomes

• Demonstrate how early action save lives and support livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities 

• Demonstrate how anticipatory action is enabled through investment in overall institutional preparedness  

• Demonstrate the need to continuously learn from, engage with, and empower communities and local actors in decision-making processes to enhance preparedness, early action and early response 

• Demonstrate the importance of linking hydrometeorological scientists with humanitarian practitioners to enable an effective link between early warning and early action. 

• Build an understanding of the different types of early actions for different hazards, across sectors and different organizations and the value of having early action protocols (or plans) in place with pre-agreed financing.  

Session objectives

Early warning systems (EWS) seek to provide timely and actionable information to the public as well as to others involved in responding to an emergency, to help save lives and livelihoods in emergency situations and avoid situations escalating into disasters. Strong growth in information and communication technology networks and services and digital applications are increasing the number of communication platforms and channels and opening up new opportunities to reach communities at risk. 

Sending the same alerting message over multiple platforms, including different digital platforms, increases coverage and impact, and avoids confusion, especially when a standardized alerting format, such as CAP, is used. Alerts can be sent using different channels such as broadcasting - TV and public radio - , online platforms, including social media and applications, fixed services, and sirens. A wide variety of channels will increase the likelihood of reaching people with different needs, including in terms of literacy levels, geographic location, and communication preferences. 

This session will focus on the use of digital networks, services and applications, and highlight that with growing availability and reach of mobile cellular services, it is possible to reach an increasingly large amount of people when disaster strikes. It will highlight some specific use cases and look at the example of Europe, where specific regulation on using mobile technologies in disseminating warnings, were developed.  EECC Article 110 ensures that by June 2022, all EU countries have a public warning system that is able send out alerts by providers of mobile number-based interpersonal communications services to end-users concerned. 

Expected outcomes

• Highlight the opportunities of growing digital networks and services for developing an effective early warning system and reaching communities at risk 

• Sharing good practices of using mobile networks and technologies to send alerting messages, including location-based technologies, such as location-based SMS or Cell Broadcast (CB). 

• Demonstrate the importance for governments and public warning authorities to work with mobile network operators and private sector actors in developing national early-warning systems. 

• Highlight the importance of using multiple communication channels and platforms to increase coverage and impact, and avoid confusion by using a standardized alerting format, such as CAP. 

Session objectives

This session will showcase: 

• How early warning systems are enhanced using improved information at different levels (global, national, regional) on hazards, exposure, and vulnerability (e.g., disaggregated data, community knowledge, gender analysis).   

• How information on past events, damage, and loss associated enable impact-based forecasting and identification of the most effective early action to minimize the impact on those most at-risk and vulnerable. 

• How communities at risk benefit from early warning systems driven by risk information. 

• Examples of current trends, advances and challenges identified in the use of risk information in MHEWS.  

• Examples of new sources of information to improve several types of MHEWS. 

• The use of Information and Communication Technologies to enhance the use of risk information in MHEWS. 

This session will address: 

• Challenges regarding the use of updated risk information to improve MHEWS. 

• Challenges to the inclusion and targeting of all marginalised groups and benefits of community and women-led MHEWS. 

• The combined use of risk information generated at the international, regional, and national levels to improve early warning - early action efforts at the local level. 

Expected Outcomes

• Awareness raising regarding novel advances in the use of risk information in MHEWS in various regions of the world. 

• Suggestions to enhance the use of risk information to address the challenges identified during the session.  

• Suggestions on how we retrieve information and data to be used for risk-driven early warning systems which are not covered by the usual and well-known data sources. 

Session objectives

The purpose of the session is to explore how policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements might best be developed to support the inclusive multi hazard early warning systems of tomorrow. The session will examine through first-hand experience how we currently implement inclusive governance with regard to early warning systems. A number of speakers from local communities, National Disaster Management Agencies (NDMAs), Meteorological Agencies, and governmental institutions will share current processes, best practices, and challenges from their experience in the field of inclusive early warning and early action. Building upon this and through a collaborative process, the session will then explore what the early warning and early action systems of tomorrow might look like and how these systems can be enhanced through inclusive governance. 

Early-warning systems enable communities, businesses, managers of services, and facilities (e.g., schools, health facilities, or dams.) to better understand the risks and hazards they face and take action to protect themselves, their assets and services in the event of an oncoming crisis, saving lives and livelihoods, and minimizing disruptions. In order to fulfill their purpose, early warning systems need to reach the population at large and multiple end-users, including vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, the elderly, and low literacy and linguistic minorities, providing different groups and users with actionable information relevant to their realities.  These people are often excluded from decision-making processes within local and national systems and governance arrangements, and as a result, they experience unequal access, their needs are not always adequately met and they are not enabled to take preventative action. 

Overarching governance framework for people center multi-hazard early warning systems are essential to driving effective and inclusive early warning systems. Good governance frameworks clarify roles and responsibilities across the key components of early warning systems1 and should enable transparency, equity and inclusiveness, coherence, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, and accountability for results.

Format

The session invites four panellists to deliver their accounts of developing governance around inclusive early warnings through a panel discussion and Q&A led by the session moderator. This will be followed by a collaborative future-looking exercise to imagine the early warning systems of tomorrow. The session will conclude with an interactive Q&A where all participants will be invited to pose questions to the panel. 

Guiding questions

• When we talk about inclusive early warning systems, how do we currently define inclusive governance?   

• How might we build upon this definition to enhance inclusivity in the early warning systems of tomorrow?  

• What are the best avenues for how the private sector can play a role in the further development of inclusive early warning systems?   

• Which civil society, communities, public sector, private sector partnership arrangements are required for building inclusive early earning early action systems? 

Key Results

• Review the current state of governance arrangements for inclusive multi hazard early warning - early action systems. 

• Identify pathways for enhancing inclusive governance for people-centered effective early warning and early action systems.  

Session objectives

A growing number of developing country governments are interested in using Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to provide public infrastructure assets and services. The sectors responsible for the various elements of the Early Warning System Value Chain are now considering this approach.  

The main objective of the session is to discuss public-private engagement around the 4 components of the People Centered EWS: Disaster risk knowledge; Detection, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of the hazards and possible consequences; Warning dissemination and communication; Preparedness and response capabilities.   

Public and private sector representatives will share how their activities are helping improve operational efficiency, quality and sustainability in the provision of public good services, including the challenges faced.   

Mutual trust is the foundation of all partnerships and is a topic that is important to unpack.  The importance of “doing something together” even on a small pilot scale to concretize the discussion and build trust cannot be over-emphasized.  Panelists will share examples of concrete collaborations, and share lessons learned on how these helped or did not help to build trust. 

The panel will also explore synergies between each component and recommend to the extent possible, where systematic knowledge exchange should take place to ensure parties benefit from the collaboration. 

This learning event will serve as a consultation process supporting the development of the Words into Action Guide on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems.

Session objective

The purpose of the event is to inform participants of the MHEWC-III on the status and main contents of the WiA guide on MHEWS and encourage initial feedback including suggestions to improve the content and as such its applicability. Session participants will discuss the content of selected sections of the consultative version of the WiA guide to reinforce the contents and its ‘how to’ approach.

Session methodology

1. The content of the MHEWS WiA guide will be presented.
2. Participants will be requested to share generic feedback.
3. Working in smaller groups will facilitate receiving comments and suggestion for four selected sections of the WiA guide.

In addition, participants will be able to provide any additional feedback through a brief online questionnaire. The online questionnaire will contain the same questions that are asked during the meeting.

Participants are encouraged to register if they are interested in participating in the virtual or in-person discussions. This will facilitate defining the breakout groups. Note that after the presentation participants will be divided into groups (in-person as well as virtual) to share initial feedback and focus on specific aspects of the WiA guide.

The Consultative Draft can be found here. 

Background and Context

In 2015, Member States adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 to reduce the human and economic loss caused by disasters and avoid the creation of new risks. To help implement this Sendai Framework, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has launched the Words into Action (WiA) Guides as a series of guidelines, based on global expertise, communities of practice, and networks of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners. The guidelines provide practical and specific advice on implementing a people-centered approach to DRR in line with the Sendai Framework.

Contributing to the WiA series, UNDRR, United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are leading the elaboration of a new WiA guide that will provide practical guidance to the implementation of the Sendai Target G with special focus on Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS). The envisioned WiA guide will provide advice for governments, stakeholders, and partners on how to institutionalize, operate, monitor, and strengthen people-centred inclusive approaches for multi hazard early warning systems.

In addition to the organizations above, a Reference Group (RG)^[1] was formed to guide the process, make recommendations, and provide expert advice. This included for example the selection of good practices and contributions to different sections of the WiA Guide.

To ensure that all relevant aspects are included in the WiA guide and to integrate the users’ point of view, the document proposes steps to ensure a participative consultation and validation.

Groups
 

Group 1: Early Warning – Early Action 

• What practical recommendations could you suggest reinforcing the contents of the section 3.1 of the guide that trigger the implementation of early actions after an alert was issued? 

Group 2: Impact-based Forecasting (IBF) 

• What else must be considered for a successful shift to IBF? Please indicate if proposed steps in section 3.2.3 are clear enough or further information should be included. 

Group 3: Governability to foster institutionalization of MHEWS 

• Please suggest advocacy activities / campaigns / strategies to foster the institutionalization of MHEWS. Please complement section 2.2 of the Guide. 

Group 4: Financing mechanisms 

• Which strategies can be implemented to ensure proper financing mechanisms to sustain the implementation of MHEWS? Please complement section 2.3 of the Guide.  

Question for all groups 

• What is your overall feedback to the initial draft of the guide? Do you have any suggestions to improve the content of the guide considering the practical nature (how-to) of the guide?

Session objectives

The Session objectives will explores: 

1. The gaps, boundaries, constraints and limitations of MHEWS in saving lives, reducing livelihood impact and loss and damages for both extreme (sudden-onset and new creeping hazards) linked to Climate Change and or complex cascading or compounding geophysical /biological hazards? 

2. emerging challenges of Early Warning Systems in context of both Climate Change and Urbanization’ and how to adapt EW messages to the needs of people and communities in an integrated and sustainable way 

3. Review and solicit input on a new methodology that draws on the MHEWS checklist here New strategies and opportunities for the international community to support LDCs and SIDS measure the effectiveness of MHEWS and provide support in how we redesign/enhance MHEWS to better connect the systems to timely and appropriate Early Actions and decision making across the range of timescales? 

Guiding Questions

1. What are the successes and proven benefits of effective MHEWS? 
2. What are the gaps, limitations of MHEWS in saving lives, reducing livelihood impact and loss and damages for both extreme (sudden-onset and new creeping hazards) linked to Climate Change and or complex cascading or geophysical compounding geophysical /biological hazards?  
3. What do you think are the emerging challenges of Early Warning Systems in context of both Climate Change and Urbanization/development trends?  
4. How to adapt MHEWS and messages to the needs of people and communities in an integrated and sustainable way? 
5. What are the new strategies and opportunities for the international community to measure the effectiveness of MHEWS and support how we redesign/enhance MHEWS to better connect the systems to timely and appropriate Early Actions and decision making across the range of timescales?  
6. How can countries and communities at risk benefit from advances in science, technology, governance and community-based engagement behind early warning systems 

Expected outcomes

1. Showcase how MHEWS save lives, reduce impact on livelihood, and reduce disruption to social services and infrastructure systems. 

2. Highlight why and how early warning systems are not effective, and improve understanding of the gaps, boundaries, limitations and emerging challenges of existing MHEWS in the light of new creeping and sudden-onset hazards linked to Climate Change and complex geophysical/biological hazards. 

3. Identification of new strategies and opportunities for the international community to further advance and enhance MHEWS for the benefit of society, in particular towards reducing not only loss of lives, but also impacts on livelihood and infrastructures etc 

4. Introduction to/feedback on a new methodology and tool for measuring the effectiveness of MHEWS. 

The kick-off the Third Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference (MHEWC-III), part of the Preparatory Days of the Global Platform 2022 (GP2022). 

This year's theme is: From Stock Take to Scaling Actions on Target G: Accelerating the Knowledge and Practice of Early Warning Systems for Risk Informed Resilience.

As we approach the mid-point of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, MHEWC-III provides a unique opportunity to review key accomplishments, share skills, experience, and expertise within an active network of early warning practitioners.

The MHEWC-I: Saving Lives, Reducing Losses took place 22-23 May, 2017 in Cancún, Mexico, as a pre-event to the Fifth Session of the GPDRR (GP2017). The MHEWC-II took place in Geneva, Switzerland 13-14 May, 2019 as a pre-event to the Sixth Session of the GPDRR (GP2019). The MHEWC-III builds on the progress and achievements of the first two conferences.

Agenda
 

• Opening remarks
• IN-MHEWS Partners Introductory Video
• Keynote Speech
• Interactive Icebreaker

Background and Context

Expected Outcomes

• Outcome statement to feed into GP2022 thematic session on early warnings and early action that puts forward recommendations to enable transformation for multi hazard EWS enabling risk-informed early action to reduce impacts and losses 
• Roadmap/Agenda with strategic priorities, governance arrangements and joint work program for IN-MHEWS updated and voluntary commitments by partners confirmed
• Contribution to a stock take on progress in the implementation of Sendai Framework target G
• Methodologies and frameworks for assessing effectiveness of EWS/ Target G custom indicators disseminated 
• Contribute to a validated Words into Action guide on Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems

Guiding Themes

• Enablers of transformative change
• Multi-sector governance
• Gender sensitive early warning systems
• Inclusive, people centered risk-informed systems
• Risk knowledge and impact-based forecasting
• Anticipatory action
• Risk communication and warning dissemination
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Science, technology and innovation
• Public-private partnerships