The Executive Action Plan of the “Early Warnings for All” initiative requires new targeted investments of $3.1 billion between 2023 and 2027, the United Nations Information Center in Rabat said on Monday. the unveiling of the initiative at COP27, which is being held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
“This is a small part (about 6%) of the 50 billion requested to finance adaptation. This initial amount will fund disaster risk knowledge, observations and forecasting, preparedness and response, and the dissemination of early warnings”, notes the Center in a press release. This plan, presented on Monday by the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres at COP27, will cost only the equivalent of 50 cents per person per year for five years so that everyone on the planet is quickly warned of ever more extreme and dangerous weather conditions, specifies the same source.
“Continuously rising greenhouse gas emissions are amplifying extreme weather events across the planet. The proliferation of these calamities is costing lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in loss and damage. Climate disasters displace three times more people than wars. Half of humanity is already in the danger zone”Guterres said, quoted in the statement. “We need to invest as much in adaptation as in resilience. This includes information that allows us to anticipate storms, heat waves, floods and droughts. I have therefore asked that every inhabitant of the planet be protected by early warning systems within five years, prioritizing the most vulnerable first.Guterres continued.
“Early warnings save lives and provide huge economic benefits. It is enough to report the arrival of a dangerous phenomenon 24 hours in advance to reduce the ensuing damage by 30% »argued, for his part, the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas.
“Such advances are made possible by modern science, the sustainable operation of systematic observation networks, the daily exchange of quality data between countries, access to high-quality early warning products, the translation of forecasts into impacts, in addition to advances in telecommunications”added Taalas.
“The science is there, it clearly shows the urgency of acting to help those who need it to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change. The launch of the Executive Action Plan brings a lot to adaptation and resilience, especially in Africa where 60% of the population is not protected by early warning systems”indicated, for his part, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of COP 27, Sameh Hassan Shoukry.
Brad Smith, President and Vice President of Microsoft, highlighted the fundamental role that technology can play in bringing early warnings to the people. “This UN initiative will save lives by enabling people to adapt to climate change and respond to early warnings before disaster strikes. Today we have artificial intelligence and data tools” , he said. This initiative “offers countries the opportunity to significantly deepen the understanding of risks, which must form the basis of all actions to build resilience. For these reasons and more, executing this action plan is critical to saving lives. The UN Secretary-General has shown us the course, the WMO has shown us the route. It is up to all of us now to make this a reality”said Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Director of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Other leaders who spoke at the roundtable, held on the opening day of COP 27, represented the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund , the Climate Investment Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, the World Food Program and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Guterres announced the plan at a meeting of senior officials from governments and UN bodies, funding agencies, tech giants and the private sector, during the World Leaders Summit for UN Negotiations. on climate change, COP27. Developed by the World Meteorological Organization and various partners, the plan is accompanied by a joint declaration signed by 50 countries.
The plan identifies key areas for advancing universal knowledge of disaster risk and outlines priority actions to achieve this, building on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
It identifies priority technical actions to expand the ability to detect hazards, fill observation gaps, and advance global data-processing and forecasting systems, as well as the exchange data, thus optimizing international efforts.
To ensure progress and continued strategic alignment of activities with implementing agencies, the UN Secretary-General is establishing an Early Warning for All Steering Committee. The heads of the secretariat of the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction will serve as co-chairs.
The committee will bring together many of the key partners who have shaped the Executive Action Plan to date. It will report annually on progress to the UN Secretary-General, prior to meetings of the Conference of the Parties.
In addition, an annual multi-stakeholder forum will be organized in an effort to intensify consultation and foster collaboration with more partners.