Countries offering more comprehensive multi-hazard early warning systems reported six times fewer mortalities caused by weather-related events, a joint report released by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) stated.
Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2025, released Wednesday at the COP30 Belém climate summit, further noted that 60 per cent of the world’s total countries, or 119 countries, now offer multi-hazard early warning systems.
Although the United Nations launched the ‘Early Warnings for All’ initiative in 2007, it is during the past decade that more countries have acted on this initiative.
The report highlighted that Africa had made significant progress in setting up multi-hazard warning systems, and the overall system’s capabilities were enhanced by 45 per cent.
Professor Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary General, said,” On a daily basis, we see destructive weather – most recently in Jamaica, the Philippines and Vietnam. Each event leaves lasting impacts on communities, economies and ecosystems. The scars remain long after the headlines. Without advance forecasts, early warnings and early action, the loss of life would have been much, much higher.”
The response to early warning systems had notably increased since 2015, indicating that more countries and communities were taking preemptive measures to weather warnings. This list included the Arab nations, the report said.
Among other findings, the report highlighted that over 72 per cent of countries offering this early warning system were located in the Asia-Pacific region. Importantly, it was the small island nations, the Americas, and the Caribbean nations that still offered the lowest or limited early warning coverage.