Early Warning Systems Grow Worldwide as Vulnerable Nations Face El Niño Risks
(MENAFN) The number of countries reporting multi-hazard early warning systems has climbed to 136, although major protection gaps remain in the most vulnerable regions as a strengthening El Niño raises the threat of increasingly severe weather events, according to a UN report released Wednesday.
The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2026, jointly issued by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), found that worldwide coverage has reached 70%, representing a 143% increase since countries began reporting in 2015.
The findings also highlighted the benefits of stronger warning capabilities. Countries with more advanced systems experienced disaster-related death rates 6.1 times lower than those with less developed arrangements, while the number of people affected by disasters was 3.2 times smaller.
Despite this progress, small island developing states recorded the weakest coverage, while least developed countries received the lowest overall scores for the comprehensiveness of their early warning systems.
“Countries have made significant progress in strengthening their early warning systems, but too many people remain unprotected,” said UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo also raised concerns about the potential intensity of the current El Niño, warning that it “could be literally off our monitoring charts.”
“While we cannot stop El Niño, we can prevent many of its worst human consequences. Early warning systems give us the opportunity to anticipate risks and act before extreme weather leads to a humanitarian disaster,” she said.
The report further showed that anticipatory action frameworks expanded by 70% during 2025, reaching 262 initiatives across 75 countries.Early Warning Systems Grow Worldwide As Vulnerable Nations Face El Niño Risks
The Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2026, jointly issued by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), found that worldwide coverage has reached 70%, representing a 143% increase since countries began reporting in 2015.
The findings also highlighted the benefits of stronger warning capabilities. Countries with more advanced systems experienced disaster-related death rates 6.1 times lower than those with less developed arrangements, while the number of people affected by disasters was 3.2 times smaller.
Despite this progress, small island developing states recorded the weakest coverage, while least developed countries received the lowest overall scores for the comprehensiveness of their early warning systems.
“Countries have made significant progress in strengthening their early warning systems, but too many people remain unprotected,” said UNDRR chief Kamal Kishore.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo also raised concerns about the potential intensity of the current El Niño, warning that it “could be literally off our monitoring charts.”
“While we cannot stop El Niño, we can prevent many of its worst human consequences. Early warning systems give us the opportunity to anticipate risks and act before extreme weather leads to a humanitarian disaster,” she said.
The report further showed that anticipatory action frameworks expanded by 70% during 2025, reaching 262 initiatives across 75 countries.Early Warning Systems Grow Worldwide As Vulnerable Nations Face El Niño Risks
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