Promoting Early Warning Systems for Minimizing and Addressing Loss & Damage: How to accelerate EWS in Asia Pacific countries?

Amid the growing impact of extreme weather events, the adverse effects on livelihoods and food security, particularly among the most vulnerable of communities in developing countries, have become increasingly evident.  Responding to the pressing challenge of managing losses and damages due to climate change, the Japanese government announced comprehensive support in cooperation with the international community at COP27( Assistance Package by the Government of Japan for Averting, Minimizing and Addressing Loss and Damage). As such, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan has actively promoted the introduction of Early Warning Systems (EWS) for natural disasters to enhance their services including weather observation, forecast, and climate information.

In addition, Japan initiated the EWS Initiative in June 2023, aiming to implement EWS in over half of the Asia-Pacific countries by 2025, concurrently establishing a public-private partnership council for this purpose. This initiative aims to promote the establishment of EWS by deploying the advanced services and technologies of the Japanese private sector while considering each country's situation and needs.

This side event aims to report the progress on the initiative while fostering discussions among various stakeholders regarding the potential and prospects of EWS technology, particularly in light of the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region.