Europe/Berlin
Room: Side Event Room Berlin
Background
In the face of worsening climate impacts, the Early Warnings for All initiative (2023-2027), launched by the UN Secretary-General, aims to ensure everyone on earth is covered by multi-hazard early warning systems to further save lives, livelihoods and assets.
Utilizing innovation and technology to improve climate information and disaster risk knowledge helps decisions and investments to cope with climate risks. Context-specific risk knowledge and climate information is a foundational starting point for formulating effective adaptation strategies, policies and action, and yet globally, disaster risk knowledge suffers from significant shortcomings, and is the least area of progress in achieving global coverage of multi-hazard-early warning systems, particularly in the LDCs and SIDS.
The bodies of the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism, in accordance with their respective functions, have taken steps to promote technologies and innovations that could assist countries in advancing risk-informed climate policies and actions, including for the implementation and scale-up of early warning systems:
• The TEC has joined the Early Warnings for All initiative and is working with the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) on a policy brief focused on technology and innovation solutions for enhanced risk knowledge;
• The CTCN has provided numerous technical assistance to countries across regions in identifying technology needs for improving risk knowledge and formulating risk-informed adaptation projects and programmes in vulnerable contexts.
The TEC and CTCN, in line with the mandate by Parties to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement, aim to collaborate and engage with financial actors to enhance the capacity of developing countries to prepare project proposals and facilitate their access to available funding for technology development and transfer.
Objectives
The session aims to provide an engaging space for exchange of information and views among various actors involved in the technology implementation -particularly financial actors supporting technology solutions for improved climate information and early warning systems- to shed light on:
- Current trends in needs and priorities of countries for technology development and transfer in support of climate information and early warning systems;
- Challenges, opportunities, and good practices for the deployment of such technologies; and
- Ensuring people-centered and inclusive approaches in deploying technologies for climate information and early warnings, leaving no one behind.
Agenda
13:15-13:20 | Opening remarks
- UNFCCC senior official
13:20-13:25 | Welcoming and scene-setting: TEC’s engagement with the Early Warnings for All initiative - innovation and technology for improved risk knowledge
- Thibyan Ibrahim, Chair, TEC
13:25-13:30 | Keynote: SIDS perspective on the role of technology, finance and capacity-building to advance climate info and early warning systems in building resilience
- Anne Rasmussen, Lead Negotiator, The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Permanent Mission of Samoa to the United Nations
13:30-13:40 | Reflections and testimonials from providers of support: international cooperation and support for EWS in Maldives
- Gaia Righini, Research scientist, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA)
- Loretta Hieber Girardet, Chief Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Capacity Development, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
- Rui Kotani, Disaster Risk Reduction Coordinator, Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
- Athiye Jawad, Head of Business, MENA Civil Governments, Planet Labs
13:40-14:10 | Discussion with financial actors and providers of support for climate information and early warning systems
Moderator: Ambrosio Yobanolo del Real, TEC activity co-lead for early warning systems
Discussants [further details to be added upon confirmation]:
- Saliha Dobardzic, Programming and Innovation Unit Lead, Adaptation Fund
- Uzoamaka Nwamarah, Adviser, Climate Change, Economic,Youth & Sustainable Development Directorate, The Commonwealth Secretariat
14:10-14:25 | Q&A
14:25-14:30 | Key takeaways and closing
- Fred Onduri, Chair, CTCN Advisory Board