BELÉM, Brazil - The number of countries with reported Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems has reached a record high of 119 countries. Moreover, the comprehensiveness of these systems has improved by 45% since 2015, reflecting enhanced capabilities. Yet, critical gaps remain underscoring the urgent need for increased investment to achieve Early Warnings for All, according to a new report from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2025 report, launched today at the COP30 Belém Climate Summit, provides a snapshot of progress in the implementation of the UN's flagship Early Warnings for All initiative, which aims to protect every person on Earth with an early warning system by 2027.
The report reveals measurable progress, with 119 countries, or 60% of all countries, now reporting the existence of a Multi-Hazard Early Warning System. This is a 113% increase over the past 10 years. However, coverage gaps persist, especially among small island developing States, as only 43% of them reported having systems in place.
Comprehensiveness scores for system capabilities have increased by an average of 45% across all regions. Africa has seen the greatest progress since 2015, with a 72% increase in the comprehensiveness, but it remains the region with the lowest scores.
The report also places special focus on emerging hazards that are intensifying, including extreme heat, wildfires, and glacial lake outburst floods, which pose new threats that many existing warning systems are not equipped to handle.
"The climate crisis is accelerating. Record-breaking wildfires, deadly floods, super storms… shattering lives, economies, and decades of progress," warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the World Leaders Climate Action Summit , where he called for "drastically increasing investments in adaptation and resilience, and delivering Early Warnings for All by 2027."
The report urges governments to unite around achieving universal early warning protection by accelerating targeted financial investments, strengthening risk governance, and ensuring that all systems are co-developed with local communities to ensure no one is left behind.
"Disasters are neither natural nor inevitable. And even in the face of a growing climate crisis, we can put a stop to spirals of growing disaster losses," said Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Head of UNDRR, adding, "To reverse these trends, countries must accelerate the full implementation of the Sendai Framework in the remaining five years. This requires prioritising financing for resilience."
"On a daily basis, we see destructive weather - most recently in Jamaica, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Each event leaves lasting impacts on communities, economies and ecosystems. The scars remain long after the headlines," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "Without advance forecasts, early warnings and early action, the loss of life would have been much, much higher."
While pre-disaster anticipatory action is gaining momentum, the report identifies the need for further strengthening disaster risk knowledge, which has seen a 16% improvement since 2022. Less than one-third of all countries report having capabilities for risk knowledge, which is the foundation for all other components of an effective warning system.
