色库TV

Question from moderator: “How can the three Programmes of Action of the LDCs, the LLDCs and the SIDS help strengthen early warning systems in these countries, and how can UN-OHRLLS support them?”

Mr. Moderator – I thank you for the question.

Excellencies, 
Distinguished Colleagues,  

I thank the WMO for the kind invitation to address this important event.

The 92 most vulnerable countries of the world - the Least Developed Counties, the Landlocked Developing Countries and the Small Island Developing States are disproportionately impacted by hazards and disasters.

They systematically experience higher mortality rates and greater economic losses as a percentage of GDP.

?
Already facing shrinking fiscal space and worsening debt situations due to the pandemic and other overlapping global crises, these countries end up diverting scarce resources from long-term development efforts to immediate relief and reconstruction.

At the same time, they remain the furthest behind in establishing multi-hazard early warning systems. Their national budget allocations for disaster risk reduction are among the lowest globally, even as projections indicate that the number of disasters could rise by 40% between 2015 and 2030.

Yet evidence clearly shows that investments in early warning systems yield a tenfold return when combined with anticipatory approaches.

Excellencies,

Disaster risk reduction and resilience-building feature prominently in all three global Programmes of Action guiding our work: the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs, the Awaza Programme of Action for the LLDCs, and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. 
Each call for strengthened early warning capacities, enhanced access to climate and disaster finance, and better data and technology-sharing to reduce vulnerability and prevent hazards from escalating into disasters.

My Office has placed high priority on these areas, advocating for scaled-up international support to help these countries build resilience and safeguard hard-won development gains.

In this regard, I thank WMO, UNDRR and the Early Warnings for All initiative for joining with my Office last year to prepare the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the Status of Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems in the LDCs.

This report provided critical insights into existing gaps, and what the international community needs to do to close them.

Alarmingly, only half of the LDCs have reported having multi-hazard early warning systems, and none is yet fully compliant with the Global Basic Observing Network.

?
We commend the efforts of the Early Warning Systems for All Initiative, the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems Initiative (CREWS) and the Systematic Observation Financing Facility (SOFF), especially for their focus on the most vulnerable countries.   We call on all partners to maintain the highest priority to these countries.

These efforts have yielded important progress and can serve as a model for the UN system at large, in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of resource deployment.

However, achieving the ambitious 2027 targets of the Early Warnings for All will require much greater effort, resources, and coordination. 

In this context, I am pleased to announce a two-fold pledge by my Office to strengthen early warning systems in the most vulnerable nations.

First, with generous support of the Government of Qatar, my Office will invest USD5 million over the next 5 years to strengthen early warning systems in LDCs. 
This is in addition to a further USD 6 million my Office will allocate to support National Adaptation Plan implementation in LDCs, and USD10 million to set up a system of food stockholdings in LDCs to address food insecurity during crises. 

Secondly, my Office will strengthen its cooperation with the CREWS Initiative to support the roll-out of early warning systems in the LDCs and SIDS.   We deeply value the partnership with CREWS, who’s work in expanding access to climate risk information and early warnings aligns closely with our mandate and the priorities of the three Programmes of Action.

Excellencies, 

It is imperative that we reverse the current trend in global financing, where only 0.5% of ODA is allocated to prevention and preparedness, while 11% goes to emergency response and recovery.

We must flip the script - investing ahead of crises, rather than reacting to them.

You may count on my Office’s full engagement and partnership with WMO, UNDRR, and all stakeholders to ensure that no vulnerable country is left without life-saving early warning systems by 2027.
 
I thank you.