UN launches Early Warnings for All initiative in Tajikistan

The UN Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4All) was launched in Tajikistan during a two-day national consultation with key stakeholders from state and international agencies, UN, media and civil society organizations.

The national consultation was co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan and the UN resident co-ordinator in Tajikistan with active involvement of the lead agencies of four pillars of the Early Warnings for All Initiative: the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Sulaimon Ziyozoda, inaugurated the event, highlighting its significance by stating that the Republic of Tajikistan attaches importance to climate change, disaster risk reduction and supports the call of the United Nations Secretary-General to protect everyone with early warning systems.

He also noted: “Co-ordination of activities of different sectors and stakeholders, involvement of communities at risk, availability of favourable institutional and legislative environment, clear distribution of roles and responsibilities – all these are necessary to create effective and consistent early warning systems.”

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UN resident coordinator, Parvathy Ramaswami, said the launch of the Early Warnings for All initiative is, “a crucial step forward in safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of Tajik communities from the impacts of climate change and other risks,” adding that, “a whole-of-society approach involving all stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, will be critical for strengthening and sustaining the early warning services in the country.”

Representatives from relevant ministries, government agencies and development partners presented current advancements in implementing early warning systems in Tajikistan. They collectively identified challenges and prioritized strategies to expand the coverage, integration, and effectiveness of EWS.

Participants also engaged in technical discussions, and a mapping and a comprehensive gap analysis exercise, drawing from prior assessments, to identify the critical gaps and priority needs for support across the four pillars. They agreed on a coordination mechanism and on developing an action plan for the initiative’s implementation.

Background

Globally one third of citizens are still not covered by early warning systems. The EW4All Action Plan was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) held in Egypt in November 2022 for further investment across disaster risk knowledge, observations and forecasting, preparedness and response, and communication of early warnings, with particularly priority placed on vulnerable communities.

The Early Warnings for All Initiative calls for a global effort to ensure that such systems protect everyone on Earth by 2027. Early Warning Systems, supported by preparedness and early action, are a proven, effective, and feasible disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation measure, that save lives and provide a tenfold return on investment. Yet, major gaps in early warning systems remain globally, especially when it comes to translating early warnings into risk-informed early action.

Tajikistan is faced with the frequent occurrence of natural hazards, such as avalanches, earthquakes, floods, mudflows, and landslides, with climate change further exacerbating their impacts. The Early Warnings for All initiative will build improved resilience to such risks in Tajikistan, with support provided across four interconnected pillars of EW4All: disaster risk knowledge; detection, observation, monitoring, analysis, and forecasting; warning dissemination and communication; and preparedness and response capabilities.