Early Warnings for All continues to reach more countries in 2026

In 2026, the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT), continues to accelerate global progress toward ensuring that no one is left behind when a disaster strikes.

As the lead agency for Pillar 3 on warning dissemination and communication of the UN Secretary‑General’s Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, ITU supports countries in assessing gaps and barriers, and in building the infrastructure, skills, and technological foundations needed to deliver life‑saving disaster alerts through digital channels.

EW4All National Consultative Workshops are formal roll‑outs of the initiative at the country level. They convene EW4All stakeholders to identify gaps across the initiative’s four pillars. National EW4All roadmaps are also developed during the workshops which enable countries to reach the last mile and protect at‑risk populations through early warning messages.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The EW4All National Consultative Workshop for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was held from 28 to 29 January 2026. The workshop was co-led by ITU and the other EW4All pillar lead agencies: the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, with support from the Ministry of Interior, the Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications du Congo, the Agence Nationale de Météorologie et de Télédétection par Satellite, and the Régie des Voies Fluviales.

This work helped to strengthen the country’s path toward an efficient and effective early warning system by identifying gaps across the four EW4All pillars, establishing a national coordination mechanism, and co‑creating a national roadmap for risk knowledge, forecasting, warning dissemination and communication, and preparedness.

The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, H.E. Judith Suminwa Tuluka, officially opened the workshop. “The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is fully committed to strengthening early warning systems. The Government considers the work stream as central to the development pathway of the country,” she said in a statement.

Related video: These are the four pillars of an early warning system | UNDRR

How does a flood warning, cyclone alert, or heatwave message reach the people who need it most? This video breaks down the science, coordination, and community action behind people-centred early warning systems — a cornerstone of disaster risk reduction.

Malawi

The EW4All National Consultative Workshop for Malawi was held from 11 to 12 February 2026 and took place on the sidelines of the Partners’ Coordination Meeting on Early Warning Services for Malawi hosted by the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems initiative. The workshop marked the official roll out of the EW4All initiative in Malawi and brought together stakeholders to advance a more coordinated, people centred approach to early warning systems.

Co-led by the EW4All pillar lead agencies—ITU, UNDRR, WMO, and IFRC—alongside national institutions, the workshop provided a platform for government entities, UN partners, and key national stakeholders to jointly review EW4All objectives. Underscoring the need to implement cell broadcast as part of strengthening the national early warning system, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority highlighted the support that ITU BDT has been providing the country on emergency telecommunication.

Participants worked together to map the actors involved in Malawi’s early warning services, assess how to bolster the system, and agree on priority actions and next steps to ensure end to end early warning coverage across the country.