PHNOM PENH: The United Nations and Cambodia are hosting a workshop this week to discuss developing early warning systems across the Kingdom to warn of natural disasters, which are ever-increasing as climate change accelerates. Cambodia is prone floods, drought or storms, which pose significant risks to communities, agriculture, and overall development of the country. In the last week alone, provinces across the country have experienced flooding that has damaged infrastructure, wiped out crops and displaced thousands of residents.
Cambodia is one of 30 at-risk countries which are the initial focus of the UN’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, which aims to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected by life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027. Jo Scheuer, UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, emphasized, “Early warning systems are proven to be a powerful and effective tool that can contribute to mitigating the impact of climate-induced disasters and, as a result, building a more resilient nation.”
"The insights gained from these discussions will shape the country's EW4ALL implementation roadmap for 2024-2027," said Claire Conan, World Food Programme-Cambodia country director. This week’s meeting is among a growing number of national consultations taking place in the 30 pilot countries to work out the logistics and individual needs of each.
"As a nation, Cambodia is actively working to strengthen its disaster preparedness and early warning systems, with the aim of safeguarding lives, empowering communities, and fostering a resilient future for all Cambodians," stated Sameun Hang, Second Vice President of Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). The initiative is also being led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), together with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
EW4All was introduced by the UN Secretary-General in November 2022 and has been rapidly gaining traction. The initiative seeks to address gaps across the four key pillars of early warning systems: understanding disaster risk; monitoring and forecasting; communication; and preparedness and response capacity. According to Jo Scheuer, UN Resident Coordinator in Cambodia, “EW4All will play a crucial role in accelerating investment to address the vulnerability of Cambodia to climate change by improving early warning systems and enhancing resilience.”
