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The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), at its Extraordinary Congress in Geneva (October 2025), rallied its 193 Member States to commit to achieving universal early warning coverage by 2027 under the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative. This global “Call to Action” seeks to ensure that no one dies for lack of warning in the face of intensifying weather, water, and climate-related disasters.

About Early Warning Systems (EWS)

An Early Warning System (EWS) is an integrated mechanism that combines:

• Hazard monitoring and forecasting,
• Disaster risk assessment,
• Communication of alerts, and
• Preparednessmeasures,to enable timely action that saves lives, livelihoods, and assets.

According to the WMO, a 24-hour advance warning can reduce disaster-related damage by up to 30%, underscoring the importance of predictive and community-based alert systems.

UN’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Initiative

• Launched: 2022 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
• Lead Agencies:
  • World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
  • UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
  • International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
  • International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
• Goal: To ensure that every person on Earth is protected by life-saving early warnings for hazards such as cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves by 2027.
• Philosophy: “Every dollar invested in early warnings saves up to fifteen dollars in avoided losses.”

The Early Warning “Value Chain”

The EW4All initiative emphasizes strengthening each link of the early warning value chain:

• Monitoring and Forecasting: Building accurate, real-time climate and hazard observation networks.
• Risk Assessment: Identifying vulnerable populations and areas through integrated risk mapping.
• Alert Dissemination: Delivering clear, trusted, and accessible alerts using multi-platform communication (digital, radio, community-based).
• Preparedness and Response: Ensuring communities understand warnings and act effectively.

Global Need and Rationale

• Over the past 50 years, climate, weather, and water-related disasters have claimed over 2 million lives, with 90% of deaths occurring in developing nations.
• Since 1970, economic losses from such disasters have exceeded US$4 trillion globally.
• Countries lacking multi-hazard early warning systems experience six times higher mortality and four times greater impacts than those equipped with such systems.

Current Global Status

• As of 2024, 108 countries have some capacity for multi-hazard early warning systems, up from 52 countries in 2014.
• However, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and conflict-affected regions remain severely underprotected.
• A WMO assessment across 62 countries revealed:
  • 50% have only basic hazard monitoring capacity.
  • 16% have less than basic capacity.
• Technical barriers include:
  • Weak observation networks,
  • Limited data sharing,
  • Inadequate financing, and
  • Lack of community trust and awareness.

Progress Under EW4All

The WMO’s 2025 Congress marked a turning point as 193 nations endorsed a Call to Action for universal coverage by 2027.Key outcomes include:

• Country-led assessments and roadmaps for capacity building.
• Integration of EW4All targets with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030).
• Strengthened regional cooperation for hazard data sharing and early action.
• New partnerships between national meteorological services, private sector innovators, and humanitarian agencies.

Call to Action: Priority Measures

To meet the 2027 universal coverage target, WMO and the UN have urged governments to:

• Integrate EWS into national climate and disaster management policies.
• Secure long-term and predictable financing beyond short-term project aid.
• Empower National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) with clear mandates and authority.
• Ensure inclusivity by combining scientific data with indigenous knowledge to reach vulnerable and remote communities.
• Leverage innovation and AI to enhance the precision and speed of predictions.
• Promote open data sharing and capacity-building to close technological gaps.

Regional Implications for India

India, as one of the most climate-vulnerable nations facing monsoons, cyclones, and heatwaves, stands to benefit immensely from EW4All.

• India already operates a robust multi-hazard early warning system led by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), NDMA, and INCOIS.
• Integration under EW4All could help upgrade radar networks, enhance last-mile connectivity, and strengthen community-based disaster response.
• The initiative aligns with India’s National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) and Sendai Framework priorities, reinforcing the “Zero Casualty” approach in disaster management.