With support from the Danish Government through the Danish Support to EW4All project , and leadership from WMO, Uganda and South Sudan have finalized and validated their national roadmaps for strengthening and scaling up their Early Warning Systems.
National workshops were driven by local stakeholders and assisted by the four pillar leads of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Initiative: WMO, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The workshops took place on 14 May in Juba, South Sudan, and 26 May in Kampala, Uganda.
Under the umbrella of the EW4All Initiative, which aims to ensure every person on earth is protected by early warning systems by 2027, the primary objective of national roadmaps is to provide the national and local governments with a structured blueprint for fortifying people-centred early warning systems (EWS). Each roadmap identifies major gaps, defines specific outputs and activities, assigns responsibilities, outlines implementation timelines, and estimates required budgets.
In both countries, these documents will serve as a strategic guide to drive national to local efforts, channel investments and facilitate the integration of comprehensive early warning mechanisms. They will also encourage organizations to align their operational plans with the roadmap's objectives to ensure coordinated and efficient use of resources.
The roadmaps were prepared through participatory processes involving two in-person consultations attended by representatives of the four EW4All pillars and other relevant institutions. Contributions were gathered through initial rapid assessments by WMO, group discussions, roadmap reviews, and feedback sessions. The final drafts were validated during the national workshops with key stakeholders and revised to incorporate their inputs.
South Sudan
South Sudan is one of the most fragile countries in the world and faces a range of hazards including, riverine floods, heat waves, flash floods, landslides and wild land fires. The country's EWS is constrained by limited meteorological and hydrological monitoring, data gaps, short-term funding, and a shortage of skilled personnel in climate science and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Additional challenges include weak response capacity, the absence of early action protocols, lack of standard operating procedures (SOPs), and inadequate governance frameworks.
The EWS implementation roadmap 2025-2028 for South Sudan was developed with key contributions from national institutions, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management (MHADRM), the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI), the Ministry of Information, Communication and Postal Services, and the South Sudan Meteorological Service (SSMS).
Uganda
Uganda faces multiple hazards including riverine and flash floods, landslides, droughts, and thunderstorms. These hazards are increasing in frequency and intensity, are exacerbated by the country's diverse topography. As the Department of Meteorological Services faces institutional challenges, the national implementation roadmap 2025-2028 represents a key opportunity for improved coordination in strengthening EWS in the country and fostering collaboration between agencies to overcome existing gaps.
Critical national contributors to Uganda's roadmap included the Office of the Prime Minister - Ministry of Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees (OPM-MoRDPR), the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), the Department of Meteorological Services (DMS), the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance (MoICTNG), and the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS).
