The Africa Early Warnings Forum is being co-organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the African Union Commission (AUC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It will be held from 2-4 September 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Launched by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2022, the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative set an ambitious global target: ensuring every person on Earth is protected by multi-hazard early warning systems by 2027. Significant progress has been made across Africa, including through the African Union's Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS), with advances in risk knowledge, forecasting capacity, and early action frameworks. Yet major gaps remain in infrastructure, last-mile communication, and sustainable financing, while climate and disaster risks continue to grow in frequency and complexity across the continent.
Bringing together representatives from a wide range of stakeholders-including Member States, Regional Economic Communities, regional organizations, technical agencies, the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, financing partners, private sectors, civil society organizations, the media, and scientific institutions, the forum will take stock of progress, identify operational priorities, and mobilise the financing and innovation needed to accelerate implementation by and beyond 2027.
Please direct all correspondence relating to this forum to the UNDRR Office for Africa through undrr-africa@un.org with a copy to Mr. Marco Massabo (marco.massabo@un.org) and Ms. Asha Sitati (asha.sitati@un.org)mailto:asha.sitati@un.org, the focal points for the forum