Addis Ababa — Early warning should be taken as a necessity not a luxury, World Meteorological Organization Regional Office for Africa Program Manager Ernest Afiesimama said today.
The program manager made the remark at a two-day technical working group workshop on Early Warnings for All (EW4All) that is taking place in Addis Ababa.
The aim of the workshop is to identify gaps and key priorities and consolidate key stakeholder commitments, among others.
Speaking at the workshop, Afiesimama added that early warning faces three challenges, which are availability of information, accessibility and affordability.
"One glaring deficiency we have in the continent is availability of data for forecasters," he pointed out.
Ethiopian Meteorological Institute Director-General Fetene Teshome said the world is increasingly confronted with dangerous weather and climate extremes which have become more frequent due to climate change.
Stressing that climate change has already affected all, he said one of the attested adaptation mechanism to such extremes is the establishment of matured early warning system.
According to him, such a system requires substantial resources that strengthen hydro-meteorological observation and monitoring infrastructure and capability.
"We have to have the system and capacity to act swiftly to such hazards. It requires resources with multisectoral coordination and proactive action."
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Addressing the workshop, UNDP Ethiopia Representative Samuel Gbaydee Doe said Ethiopia is a nation with longstanding commitment to disaster risk reduction that has made notable strides in mitigating impacts of natural hazards.
However, he added that the challenges posed by climate change and increasing frequency of extreme weather needs a renewed efforts and innovative approaches in disaster preparedness and response.
For Doe, "the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative provides us with a strategic framework to build on our past achievements and forge ahead towards a safer and more resilient future for Ethiopia."
The representative pointed out that the outcomes of the two-day workshop will led the ground work for a comprehensive action plan that outlines clear objective, targets and timeliness for the implementation of the EW4All in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission Deputy Commissioner Nesibu Yasin stressed for his part the need for establishing a strong skill and knowledge-led system to promote stronger, multidisciplinary and sectoral collaboration among disaster risk management actors.
High emphasis is therefore given to early warning system and its decentralization where capacitated people at local will be in place to lead the system.
"For this, we are building disaster risk management system for resilience building and disaster risk prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery areas of intervention," he elaborated.
The national consultation workshop that opened today is coordinated by the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute and the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, and co-organized with UN Ethiopia, in partnership with World Meteorological Organization, international organizations and NGOs.
