Geneva [Switzerland], February 23: The Green Climate Fund (GCF), operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has approved an unprecedented US$103.2 million in grant financing to scale up life-saving early warning systems in seven climate-vulnerable countries.
Led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the five-year project will bolster multi-hazard early warning systems in Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, and Somalia, and directly benefit more than 78 million people.
The total budget of $114.6 million includes $11.3 million in co-financing from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and national governments.
It will improve risk assessment, enhance forecasting capabilities, and ensure that critical early warnings reach the most remote and at-risk communities.
In a separate decision, the GCF Board approved its first ever single-country project in Togo, worth US $27 million, under a special fast track procedure drawn up in consultation with the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems Initiative (CREWS).
"Early warning systems are built on strong partnerships. WMO is grateful to the GCF Board and the GCF Secretariat for their support and to our national counterparts, particularly National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), for driving action on the ground," said Daniel Kull, Director of Development Partnerships at WMO.
"With climate change fuelling more frequent and intense hazardous weather events, the need for Early Warning Systems has never been more critical. Now is the time to strengthen collaboration and scale up efforts to deliver Early Warnings for All," he said.
The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative was launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in 2022.
Source: Emirates News Agency
