The REAP Secretariat convened a group of experts from March to November 2023 to better comprehend how different organisations conceptualise the linkages across early warning and early action (EWEA) components. These expert contributors came from NGOs, media, academia, meteorology services, regional bodies, donors and UN agencies.
Following discussions among these experts, the group agreed on the need to produce a compendium of EWEA approaches, in the spirit of the REAP Glossary and the Roles of State and Non-State Actors in Early Warning and Early Action, to compare and contrast how different EWEA specialities (disaster risk management, meteorology, hydrology, agro-meteorology, agricultural economy, geology, earth observations, epidemiology, etc.) and types of organisations (donors, civil society organisations, international organisations) approach EWEA and how their approaches differ. The main audience for this report is primarily – but not limited to – the (regional and global) intergovernmental and nongovernmental bodies providing technical expertise and financial support to nationally-mandated EWS authorities.
The report presents 10 distinct visualisations selected for their contribution to overall thinking in the sector and the representativity of specific communities of practice. It concludes with a summary graph that outlines the 71 elements that these visualisations identify for effective early warning early action systems. These 71 elements have been grouped as follows: ‘Foundational elements’ covering the legal, institutional and participation aspects prior to the development of an EWEA system; ‘Design timescale’ activities for the development of an EWEA system; and ‘Event timescale’ activities outlining the actions taken once a warning has been issued.
Acknowledgements
This paper was possible due to the commitment and dedication of experts from the following organizations: Australian Bureau of Meteorology; BBC Media Action; Caribbean Meteorological Organization; FAO; GEO Secretariat; Green Climate Fund; ICPAC; IFRC; Practical Action; Start Network; Tufts University; UK Met Office; UNDRR; USAID; and WFP.
This compendium also benefited from the inputs from early warning early action experts from CREWS, Deltares, GDPC, Red Cross Climate Centre, Resurgence, UK Health Security Agency and WMO, as well as several independent consultants.