The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved an unprecedented US$103.2m in grant financing to scale up early warning systems in seven of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the five-year project will bolster multi-hazard early warning systems in Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji and Somalia, and is projected to directly benefit more than 26 million people.
US$103m investment
With a total budget of US$114.6m – including US$11.3m in co-financing from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and national governments – the initiative is to improve risk assessment, enhance forecasting capabilities and ensure that critical early warnings reach the most remote and at-risk communities.
Country-specific interventions will include upgrading weather observation networks, integrating Indigenous knowledge into early warning systems, strengthening community-based preparedness, improving climate risk communication, and engaging with the private sector (such as the telecommunications industry).
Early Warnings for All
The project forms a major contribution to the global Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, launched by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2022, which aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by an early warning system by 2027. It also directly supports the resilience-building priorities set out under the countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans and Sustainable Development Goals.
“As the impacts of the climate crisis accelerate, too many communities are left unprotected from its most devastating consequences,” said Marcos Neto, UN assistant secretary-general and director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. “This US$100m investment from the Green Climate Fund is a game-changer. This UN wide system program supporting governments will provide millions of people with the information and tools they need to prepare for disasters before they strike, saving lives and safeguarding livelihoods. Scaling up early warning systems isn’t just about technology – it’s about climate justice and ensuring no one is left behind in the face of climate change.”
“The Green Climate Fund is proud to support Early Warnings for All (EW4All), a game-changing global initiative that will ensure vulnerable communities across Africa and beyond have access to timely and accurate climate information,” said Henry Gonzalez, GCF chief investment officer. “By working with national governments, UNDP, WMO, UNDRR, ITU, IFRC and other partners, we will accelerate and scale up EW4All so that everyone on Earth is protected by an early warning system by 2027. It is not just forecasting disasters – it is empowering people to act, protect livelihoods and save lives. Through strategic investments in early warning systems, we are turning climate risk into resilience and safeguarding the future of those most affected by the climate crisis.”
In related news, the Government of Fiji, in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji, recently concluded the final validation workshop for the country’s first-ever Green Climate Fund (GCF) Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) Project proposal. Click here to read the full story.