Regional EW4All MSF: Learning event: How to apply the EW4All toolkit?

As the EW4All initiative aims to cover every person on Earth with lifesaving EWSs, more and more countries and organisations are keen on learning from these experiences and implementing the initiative also in their countries and contexts. During this interactive knowledge exchange session, representatives from the initial EW4All focus countries in Asia-Pacific, Pillar leads and current development and financial partners can enter into dialogue with those countries and organisations wanting to learn more about the initiative.

Ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region – Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga – are among the initial focus countries receiving targeted support from Pillar leads and partners under the global EW4All initiative. Throughout 2023/24, they have all kicked off the implementation of EW4All at national level, consolidating and scaling up ongoing efforts to strengthen their people-centred and multi-hazard early warning systems (EWSs). With the help of the EW4All toolkit developed by the global Pillar leads – the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) for Pillar 1 (Disaster risk knowledge), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for Pillar 2 (Detection, observation, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of hazards), International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Pillar 3 (Warning dissemination and communication), and  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for Pillar 4 (Preparedness and response capabilities) – and consisting of templates, generic terms of references, guidelines and examples for capacity and needs assessments, national coordination mechanisms, EW4All focal points, workshop agendas, national EW4All roadmaps, etc., these countries are now at various stages of implementation. All have completed comprehensive gap assessments, and some have finalised their EW4All roadmaps with endorsement from their governments.

Pillar leads are receiving more and more expressions of interests from countries to join the EW4All initiative, along with requests for specific support. Examples include the Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and many Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States (such as Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, etc.) and Pacific Island States (covered by the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme, a key vehicle for delivering EW4All in the Pacific). Many partners with a long-standing history of supporting EWSs are also looking at how they can engage and how their contributions can be acknowledged and leveraged.

The EW4All Advisory Panel has also recommended to broaden the initiative to all interested countries, and working closer with additional partners, especially regional and non-governmental organisations, and the private and academic sectors.

As the EW4All initiative aims to cover every person on Earth with lifesaving EWSs, more and more countries and organisations are keen on learning from these experiences and implementing the initiative also in their countries and contexts. During this interactive knowledge exchange session, representatives from the initial EW4All focus countries in Asia-Pacific, Pillar leads and current development and financial partners can enter into dialogue with those countries and organisations wanting to learn more about the initiative.