Early Warning for All (EW4ALL), a global initiative to ensure everyone on Earth is protected by an Early Warning Systems (EWS) by the year 2027. This initiative was launched by the United Nations Secretary-General Office through the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), in partnership with the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS), the Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) during a two-day workshop at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, Tuesday 30th July 2024 to Wednesday 31st July 2024.
The EW4ALL comprises of four foundational pillars of early warning systems; Pillar 1 as Disaster Risk Knowledge, Pillar 2 as Observations and Forecasting, Pillar 3 as Dissemination and Communication and Pillar 4 as Preparedness to Respond. These four foundational pillars will assist in the development of a Multi-Hazard System which will detect various hazards that may occur in isolation, simultaneously or in a cascading manner.
During the opening ceremony Minister for Internal Affairs, Minister Errol Fonseka elaborated on the need to “acknowledge the vital importance of Early Warning Systems” and “strengthening our early warning systems, to protect lives, safeguard communities, and ensure sustainable development” for Seychelles to continue striving for a disaster resilient future.
Moreover, several topics were discussed, including the current status of the national early warning systems in Seychelles and the national overview on Disaster Risk Reduction in regards to the Sendai Framework 2015-2030, as well as the current National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategic Plan 2021-2030.
Following the presentations, participants present were divided into subgroups to represent each foundational pillar to identify gaps and challenges within the current Early Warning systems for improvement and support allocation. Following this exercise, each pillar group developed a comprehensive roadmap of action plan to establish a robust National Early Warning System for which a Steering Committee was formed to oversee its implementation under the leadership of Disaster Risk Management Division. This initiative aims to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness and response capabilities.
Representative present were the Disaster Risk Management Division, SMA, RSCC, DICT and the international partners; United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Word Meteorological Organisation (WMO), International Federation for Red Cross (IFRC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Regional Coordinator Office (UNRCO), Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service Agency (SFRSA), Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS), Seychelles Police Force (SPF), Public Health Authority, Island Development Company (IDC), Indian Ocean Commission, Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Seychelles Communications Regulations Authority (SCRA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Seychelles Broadcasting Cooperation (SBC), Ministry of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment (MACCE), Seychelles Defence Force (SDF), Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs (MLGCA), Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade (MFNPT), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).
