National roll-outs of Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in 2024
Guatemala
The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in Guatemala was launched on 12 March 2024 by President César Bernardo Arévalo.
The launch was also attended by UN Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, José Miguel Barreto. The event also served to recognize the Executive Secretariat of the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction and the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology as the two nationally designated focal points for EW4All in Guatemala.
Guatemala’s national implementation plan reflects a multisectoral and multi-stakeholder commitment to go the last mile towards ensuring inclusive and people-centered early warnings for all.
Comoros
The National Launch & Consultation Workshop on EW4All in Comoros was held in Moroni from 17 to 19 April 2024. The workshop showcased significant strides in Comoros’ emergency preparedness.
Key outcomes included the development of:
- A draft term of reference for a EW4All coordination committee
- A draft gap analysis showing the gaps within each pillar of EW4ALL
- A draft roadmap for Comoros identifying needs and support required
The workshop emphasized collaboration with the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector as the lead for Pillar 3 on warning communications and dissemination, outlining plans to engage the private sector, and assess connectivity through the Disaster Connectivity Maps. Participants also discussed the enhancement of the Comoros regulatory framework and technologies and standards for implementation (including Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)) and recommended mobile cell broadcast Early Warning Systems (EWS), setting a clear path for Comoros’ national ambitions for EW4All.
Djibouti
The National workshop to launch the EW4All Initiative in Djibouti took place from 7 to 9 May 2024. The event took stock of the current state of early warning systems in Djibouti and promoted a shared understanding of progress in implementing the four pillars of EW4All. It also helped to explore linkages and align ongoing and upcoming initiatives to strengthen early warning systems, as well as identify key challenges and barriers to risk-informing, issuing, communicating and acting on early warnings effectively. It also provided initial inputs towards a multi-year, multi-stakeholder EW4All national roadmap.
Ecuador
At the National workshop on the Early Warning for All initiative held in Quito, Ecuador, from 2 to 3 July 2024, several opportunities for strengthening early warnings were identified, including the need to:
- strengthen telecommunications infrastructure that allows for the dissemination of early warning messages, including for vulnerable and remote populations, considering cultural differences and following international standards,
- strengthen inter-institutional coordination between the different actors
- carry out drills and periodic evaluations that allow continuous improvement in the communication and dissemination of early warning messages.
This national workshop, which brought together more than 100 people, was an important milestone in the country. The participants delved into concrete actions focused on specific aspects framed in the four pillars that make up the value chain of early warning systems from beginning to end: knowledge of risk; detection, observation, surveillance, analysis and prediction of threats; dissemination and communication of alerts; and preparation for the response.
Liberia
The EW4All initiative was launched in Liberia at an event held from 22 to 23 July 2024. The high-level event represented a significant step in the country’s efforts to ensure the safety and resilience of its population in the face of increasing hazards and emergencies.
The launch highlighted Liberia’s steadfast dedication to implementing and advancing essential early warning systems through collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships with international organizations and local stakeholders.
It also fostered strong collaboration and partnership among the government, international organizations, and local stakeholders, all working together to advance early warning systems. in the result was a solid commitment from the government to fully support and enhance these crucial EW4All systems through substantial investments in infrastructure.
Seychelles
Seychelles joined the Early Warnings for All initiative to enhance disaster preparedness and response with a national launch on 23 and 24 July 2024.
Challenges and gaps included in regulatory frameworks, duplication in processes during disaster scenarios, current national early warning systems as well as the projects that will soon be underway to compliment the EW4ALL Initiative were presented during the launch event.
Other launches
National roll-outs of Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative began in 2023. National roll-outs are ongoing, and more workshops will be held throughout the year.
This is an ITU Development #DigitalImpactUnlocked story
About Early Warnings
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to disseminating warnings and the diversity of communities at risk need to be addressed. Therefore, ITU advocates a multi-channel approach that means that alerts are sent over many different communication channels: radio, television, social media, sirens, mobile phones etc. ITU also highlights the need to leverage mobile networks and services to reach citizens at risk and promotes the implementation of mobile early warning systems.
