a. Background: The 2015 outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) acknowledged the importance ICTs to disaster and humanitarian response and their role in enhancing and developing multi-hazard early warning systems, preparedness, response, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It was also encouraged greater investments in innovation and technology development for long-term, multi-hazard and solution driven research in the field of disaster risk reduction and management
b. Context: The session will touch on the international context related to the Action Line – SDG, Sendai Framework on DRR and COP21
c. The objective of the event is to rise awareness of risks related to weather, water and climate hazards and how these risks contribute to poverty, international crisis (climate refugees) and the impacts on implementing the sustainable development in the developing world. Provide sufficient arguments that investing in ICTs and their use for MHEWS will ease dealing with challenges and crisis ahead.
d. Target Audience: ICT communities, Development agencies, UN relevant agencies, Private sector, NGOs, Government Officials, Civil Society
e. Discussion:
i. What are the gaps and challenges in providing and reaching out the last mile with Early Warnings in timely and reliable manner?
ii. What are the opportunities in using ICT and Meteorological Technologies to provide and disseminate efficient and effective warnings to our member states and communities on the ground?
iii. 3) What efforts are needed from different players to bridge the gaps?
Link to the Sustainable Development Process
- Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
- Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
- Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss
a. Foster cooperation between the ICT community, the environmental community, the meteorological community, and other relevant communities working on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, environment protection, towards safety of population and assets against increasing threat caused by climate change related impacts.
b. Promote the use of ICT equipment in weather forecasting electronic dissemination and early warning systems to increase preparedness against natural hydro-meteorological related disasters.
c. Raise awareness on the need for international cooperation to assist nations in particular developing and least developed nations, and Small Island Developing states to benefit from a full range of ICT , weather/climate related monitoring and warning services including access to satellite data , high speed internet and smart ICT weather and climate applications.
d. Encourage establishing and maintaining networks of automated observing systems for the collection and dissemination of essential weather and climate parameters, to be made available to the global community in support of environmental monitoring.