Opening Remarks at the National Consultation on Early Warning for All Initiative.

Minister of Environment, Climate Change & Technology, Ms. Aminath Shauna

Chair of the EW4ALL Initiative, State Minister Ms. Khadeeja Naseem

Pillar Chairs of the EW4ALL initiative

Government

Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corp

UN colleagues

Friends,

Good morning

I applaud the Government of Maldives for taking the lead on this important work and take the opportunity to acknowledge the leadership of Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Ms. Aminath Shauna, and State Minister Khadeeja Naseem as the Chair of this important portfolio.

Maldives has rightly been identified globally as one of the first 30 priority countries for this initiative in 2023. Not only is Maldives the first country to launch in the Asia-Pacific region, but also the first SIDS to do so globally.

We know that inhabitants of small island states are 15 times more likely to die from climate disasters.

These disasters displace three times more people than war.

And with climate change, the situation is getting worse.

We also know that those who have contributed least to the climate crisis are the most at risk and the least protected.

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Globally, half of the world lacks multi-hazard early warning systems.

Even less have climate resilience measures and local disaster preparedness plans.

Countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality eight times higher than countries with high coverage.

The most vulnerable communities unfortunately bear the brunt of weather, climate and water-related hazards.

These are not just numbers of statistics. They are lives lost.

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That is why, in March 2023, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced the target of ensuring that every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems by the end of 2027.

But what does this practically mean for the Maldives?

For the Government, it delivers potentially significant financial savings.  Just 24 hours advance notice of a hazardous event can reduce damage and cost by 30 per cent.

It helps to ensure that limited State resources invested in inclusive and sustainable development is less likely to having to divert to an emergency response.

For communities, it enables preparedness and resilience, especially ensuring that those most vulnerable are factored in to both the planning for, and the early warning.

For Maldivians, from Haa Alif Thuraakunu, to Seenu Feydhoo it means lives saved and livelihoods protected.

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As you will hear me say often in the Maldives, none of us can achieve this alone. As with the broader 2030 Agenda, it is no longer the singular role of Governments. We, collectively have both responsibilities and assets which can be focused towards achieving an early warning system that is in the best interest of us all.

This initiative has the scope to accelerate SDGs 13, 14, 15 and 17 as countries plan in the remaining seven years of Agenda 2030. For the M to the SDG Summit later in the year.

And that is why we come together today in a broad stakeholder consultation to identify together the current status of our early warning systems in the Maldives, and to collectively chart a way forward.

Today marks a critical point, but it is not the end. The result of your contributions today will help determine how we get from this stocktaking moment, to building capacity and implementing the early warning facility needed for our unique geography and environment.

I wish to acknowledge and thank the four Pillar Chairs (NDMA, MMS, NCIT, MRC) for their efforts to lead on this stocktaking work thus far on:

1. Understanding disaster risk.
2. Monitoring and forecasting.
3. Rapid communication; and
4. Preparedness and response capacity.

I must add that it is always a pleasure to work with a passionate group of people who are experts in their respective fields. And as someone who has spent most of my career in emergency operations, I share this passion for preparing for and mitigating the impact of disasters, particularly for those most vulnerable in our communities.

Finally, it is great appreciation that I welcome our UN team from UNHQ and regional offices. We rely on the expertise and resource support of our UNDRR and WMO colleagues, who are the global leads for supporting the delivery of the EW4ALL initiative, together with our colleagues from UNEP with us today, as well as those such as ITU and IFRC who are supporting us remotely. It is a superb example of how global, regional and national UN offices are integrating our collective assets, together with our IFRC colleagues, in line with the expectations of Member States.

We look forward to an engaged discussion for the next few days.

Thank you