Regional EW4All MSF: Forecasts, Warnings and User Engagement

Early warning systems (EWSs) are critical for reducing disaster risks and impacts, for adapting to climate change, and for ensuring a resilient and sustainable development. The need for people-centred approaches to EWSs is urgent, as the number of recorded disasters has increased five-fold, driven by vulnerability and exposure conditions of communities, human-induced climate change resulting more frequent and extreme hazardous weather events. Meaningfully including all stakeholders at the local level is essential for effectively implementing EWSs and taking action. These objectives will only be possible with modern science and technology; sustained systematic observing networks for multiple hazards; daily international exchange of quality data; access to high-quality forecast and early warning products, accessible and redundant (multi-channel) formats usable by everyone; translating forecasts into potential impacts and prevention/ preparedness actions; and advances in telecommunications. Most importantly, early warnings must reach the “last mile” while we need to continue reducing vulnerabilities, exposure, and inequalities.

This session of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Multi-Stakeholder Forum will discuss challenges, opportunities, and needs for the institutionalisation of user engagement from the start and for impact-based forecasting, including the role of National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services (NHMSs) in this to support targeted early action by governments and non-governmental players, incl. the private sector and humanitarian actors. It aims to create a dialogue between presenters from the NMHS and panelists from end user groups to discuss ways to engage a diverse range of users and to tailor warning messages to them. The focus will be on sharing success stories of where users were successfully engaged, and warnings reduced the impacts of a forecasted hazard event effectively. Collecting user feedback on and measuring effectiveness of the warnings issued is key for determining this success.

The session will be divided into two parts: First four presentations from NMHSs (Philippines, Samoa, and Bhutan) and the Cyclone Preparedness Programme Bangladesh on current practices of (impact-based) warning generation and user engagement:

•    Mr Lorenzo Moron, Weather Services Chief, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
•    Mr Ahmadul Haque, Joint Secretary/Director Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP), Ministry of Disaster Management & Relief
•    Mr Silipa Mulitalo, National Technical Support Officer – Climate Services, Samoa Meteorological Service (SMS)
•    Mr Karma Dupchu, Director & Permanent Representative (PR) of Bhutan with WMO, National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM)

For the second part, five panelists – three of them coming also from the Philippines, Bangladesh and Samoa, while the other two are from Mongolia and the Pacific Disability Forum – are invited to share how they have used and disseminated warnings in their country or organisational contexts, and how they think the warning communication, uptake and user feedback can be improved to make the overall EWS more effective and efficient:

•    Philippines – Mr Dann Diez, Centre for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) Foundation
•    Bangladesh – Mr Md. Abdul Alim, Head of Humanitarian Programme, ActionAid Bangladesh
•    Samoa – Ms Molly Nielsen, Assistant Chief Executive Office, Disaster Management Office
•    Mongolia – Ms Munguntuya Sharavnyambuu, Director Climate Change and Disaster Management, Mongolian Red Cross Society
•    Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) – Ms Tepola Rabuli, Regional Coordinator, Disaster Risk Reduction