UN chief urges faster funding for global early warning systems

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged governments and international partners to increase funding and speed up efforts to provide early warning systems worldwide, warning that around one in three countries still lacks one.

Speaking at a high-level event in Antalya, Türkiye, on 11 November, Guterres said the goal of the UN’s Early Warnings for All initiative was to protect everyone on Earth with an early warning system by the end of 2027. He called for warnings to be built into public services and national budgets, and for sustained funding to cover the whole chain, from weather forecasting to communication and local response.

Guterres said about $2 billion had been mobilised since 2022 and around 160 countries were receiving support. He said the gaps were widest in least developed countries, small island developing states and countries affected by conflict, and urged partners to provide more predictable finance and strengthen national and regional capacity.

The UN chief said countries with comprehensive early warning systems had disaster death rates nearly six times lower. He also said a warning issued 24 hours ahead could reduce damage by up to 30 per cent.

Warnings only save lives if they reach people in time, are understood and trusted, and lead to action, Guterres said. He called for a shift from fragmented projects to coordinated, long-term support, including investment in people and institutions such as forecasters and first responders.

He also pointed to disparities in observation capacity, saying some European countries had more weather stations meeting global standards than the whole of Africa. “We cannot warn people about what we cannot see,” he said.