GDACS is a cooperation framework between the United Nations, the European Commission and disaster managers worldwide to improve alerts, information exchange and coordination in the first phase after major sudden-onset disasters
The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative aims to ensure universal protection from hazardous hydrometeorological, climatological and related environmental events through life-saving multi-hazard early warning systems, anticipatory action and resilience efforts by the end of 2027, as called for ...by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in 2022.
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In order to contribute especially to the achievement of Target (g) of the Sendai Framework, several international and regional organizations as well as national institutions with a key role in early warning joined forces and established the International Network for Multi-Hazard Early Warning System...s (IN-MHEWS) during the WCDRR in March 2015. IN-MHEWS aims to facilitate the sharing of expertise and good practice for multi-hazard early warning systems as a national strategy for disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and building resilience. In addition, it aims to guide and advocate the implementation and/or improvement of multi-hazard early warning systems, share lessons learnt regarding early warning and increase the efficiency of investments in such systems for enhanced societal resilience.
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Consistent with previous editions of this Global Status Report, evidence continues to suggest that concrete progress has been made by countries to improve the coverage and comprehensiveness of MHEWS. Countries have also taken actions to reduce the negative impacts of disasters through investment and... capacity development in MHEWS globally, bringing direct benefits in reducing the human cost of disasters.
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Early warning systems are an essential tool for risk management and disaster preparedness that help save lives and minimize the potential impact of disasters. To be effective, early warning systems need to rely on the direct participation of at-risk communities, facilitate public education and aware...ness of risks, disseminate messages and warnings efficiently, and help maintain a constant state of preparedness to enable early action.
Accessed August 2025
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This guide aims to provide an overview of successful practice from the field for the disaster risk reduction/management practitioner interested in EWS. It presents guiding principles that will build a strong foundation for the design or strengthening of EWS at any level. It is not an operational, bu...t a strategic, guide that insists on asking the right questions and exploring all perspectives prior even to deciding whether or not early warning is the appropriate tool for a given context.
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The Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) Checklist is a practical tool consisting of major components and actions that national governments, community organizations and partners within
and across all sectors can refer when developing or evaluating early warning systems
All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has been a signatory to the Climate and Environment Charter since 2021 and has worked extensively in advancing the commitments to the Charter through its programs and operations, as well as an advocacy partner within India and regionally.
The CERC manual provides an evidence-based framework and recommended practices for anyone who communicates on behalf of an organization responding to major emergencies such as natural disasters.
An external team evaluated PAHO’s response to COVID-19 to provide an independent assessment of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau’s (PASB) performance regarding preparedness for and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluations’ final report culminates with eight recommendations for actions... to future response to health emergencies. The final report of EPRC culminates with eight evidence-based recommendations of actions to strengthen future pandemic responses, while building a resilient recovery in the Region. The recommendations by the external team focus on PAHO’s governance and management, on specialized regional mechanisms, diversified funding models, and use of new technologies, among others.
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Lessons learned from recent public health events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola virus disease, Zika virus disease outbreaks, and other public health threats, including earthquakes and floods, have highlighted the need for countries to continuously develop, strengthen, and maintain capacities r...equired under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR (2005)).
Developing capacities for health security in a country requires the engagement of public and private entities across a broad range of sectors, including human and animal health, agriculture, environment, finance, security, emergency management, education, and transportation. The World Health Organization (WHO) is mandated through various resolutions, decisions, and reports of the World Health Assembly, and through the IHR (2005), to provide technical guidance and support to its Member States in developing, strengthening, and maintaining their health systems, including capacities required under the IHR (2005).
For countries to better prevent, prepare for, detect, notify, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, they must build and maintain IHR core capacities and support the strengthening of health emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and resilience (HEPR) capacities. National Action Plans for Health Security (NAPHS), as capacity development plans, provide the tasks and resources needed to ensure adequate capacities are in place to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from public health events in a sustainable manner. Investing in the resilience of these capacities within national health systems at national and local levels not only improves national health security but also helps safeguard economic, social, and political developments.
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La deuxième édition de ce manuel fournit des directives simples, concrètes et faciles à suivre pour la récupération et le stockage des corps des personnes décédées lors de catastrophes et l’enregistrement des informations les concernant, l’objectif étant d’aider les premiers interven...ants à faire en sorte que les morts soient traités avec respect et que les informations indispensables pour leur identification ultérieure soient enregistrées comme il se doit. Cette version révisée et actualisée de l’ouvrage incorpore l’expérience acquise lors de catastrophes récentes, comme le typhon Haiyan qui a touché les Philippines en 2013, l’épidémie d’Ebola qui s’est déclarée en Afrique de l’Ouest en 2014 et 2015, et le tremblement de terre qui a frappé le Népal en 2015. Elle comporte également plusieurs annexes traitant de diverses questions, telles que la prise en charge des dépouilles des victimes d’une épidémie de maladie infectieuse, la planification des sites d’inhumation et l’utilisation des analyses ADN lors de catastrophes de grande ampleur.
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Climate information is critical towards strengthening the decision making among different users interested in mitigating impacts of climate related disasters. However, there is need for the climate users to have basic knowledge on weather and climate concepts and to a larger extend, early warning ea...rly action (EWEA) system and approach. This manual presents an opportunity for the climate users including communities to acquire basic knowledge on Early Warning Early Action and this entails; understanding risk areas, existing early warning systems, communication of early warning information and enhancing disaster preparedness through translating early warning into early actions. The EWEA manual largely target the users in different sectors and communities. The execution of the EWEA manual is planned for 3 days and this does incorporate different methods such as; PowerPoint presentation, group work discussions as well as practical exercises.
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All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has been a signatory to the Climate and Environment Charter since 2021 and has worked extensively in advancing the commitments to the Charter through its programs and operations, as well as an advocacy partner within India and regionally.
All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has been a signatory to the Climate and Environment Charter since 2021 and has worked extensively in advancing the commitments to the Charter through its programs and operations, as well as an advocacy partner within India and regionally.
This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for Ebola disease outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about Ebola disease; RCCE considerations on how to approach key issues during Ebola disease outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which Ebola disease outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into the planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support prevention and response interventions; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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The Training Toolkit for Community Early Warning Systems is an operational manual that aims to strengthen early warning systems in a developing country context. It accompanies and should put into practice the guiding strategic principles found in the Community Early Warning Systems: Guiding Principl...es.
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This information can be used to assess the extent of the damage and the needs of affected communities. Information should be gathered on the extent of damage to infrastructure, housing, and public facilities such as hospitals, schools, and water systems. This information can be used to prioritize th...e response effort and to direct resources to where they are most needed.
In addition to gathering information on the extent of damage, it is also important to gather information on the number of people affected and the types of assistance they need. This may include information on the number of people who are injured, displaced, or in need of shelter, food, and water. This information can be used to prioritize the response effort and to ensure that assistance is provided in a way that meets the specific needs of affected communities.
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As an online disaster risk visualization tool, ThinkHazard! aims to provide users with information to make risk-informed choices. This is the first platform of its kind, allowing anyone to quickly find information on 8 different types of hazards in their search area. All information is open source a...nd users are able to download all information freely.
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This I-Kit provides essential information and tools for responding to an outbreak using an SBCC approach. It presents a series of nine units, each accompanied by exercise worksheets to help link the SBCC theory to practice.
The worksheets in each section are typically followed by a completed exam...ple. The completed examples will likely include information about an emergency that, during an actual event, might not be immediately available. This was done to illustrate the full range of information to inform a strategic communication response.
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