Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Syria has taken another important step towards strengthening its national multi-hazard early warning system through a two-day national workshop bringing together government institutions, United Nations entities, international organizations and disaster risk reduction partners to assess existing capacities, identify priority gaps and define the way forward for a more integrated and people-centred early warning system. Organized by the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management in Damascus in partnership with UNDRR, the National Multi-Sectoral Early Warning System Gap Analysis Workshop is supporting national efforts to review progress across the four pillars of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and strengthen coordination among institutions responsible for disaster risk management, forecasting, warning dissemination and preparedness. The workshop provides a platform to take stock of Syria’s existing early warning capacities, identify institutional, technical and operational gaps, strengthen coordination between national and local actors, and align ongoing initiatives and partner support around national priorities. A key expected outcome is to lay the foundation for a four-year national roadmap for multi-hazard early warning, complemented by a set of priority actions for the coming six months. From managing disasters to managing risk Opening the workshop, H. E. Raed Al-Saleh, Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, emphasized Syria’s ambition to progressively move from managing disasters after they occur towards managing risks before they become disasters. He highlighted the opportunity to build a modern national early warning system that draws on technology, data and national and international expertise, while stressing that an effective warning is one that reaches people in time, is understood and trusted, and enables communities and institutions to act before hazards become disasters. The workshop reflects a broader shift towards strengthening prevention, preparedness and anticipatory action and placing risk information at the centre of national decision-making. Building on Syria’s progress in disaster risk reduction Speaking at the workshop, Raidan AlSaqqaf, Deputy Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Arab States, highlighted the progress made in Syria over the past two years in strengthening disaster risk reduction and resilience. This progress has included efforts to improve risk understanding and disaster data, strengthen preparedness and institutional coordination, and advance the development of multi-hazard early warning systems. The next step is to translate these foundations into an integrated system capable of responding to the needs of people and communities across Syria, particularly those most exposed and vulnerable to disaster risk. UNDRR will continue supporting this nationally led process through technical expertise, knowledge and international experience, while promoting a people-centred approach that connects risk knowledge with forecasting, warning communication, preparedness and early action. Connecting risk knowledge with early action The workshop builds on wider national efforts to strengthen disaster risk information and risk-informed decision-making. Syria has been among the early adopters of DELTA Resilience, UNDRR’s new disaster tracking system, supporting efforts to establish a systematic national mechanism for recording disaster impacts and strengthening the use of risk information in planning and decision-making. Strengthening this evidence base provides an important foundation for multi-hazard early warning. Historical disaster impacts, vulnerability information and future risk projections can help authorities identify priority hazards and exposed populations and better connect risk knowledge with preparedness, anticipatory action and recovery planning. The national workshop therefore marks an important step from strengthening the understanding of risk towards ensuring that information can ultimately translate into earlier action and better protection for people and communities. A coordinated approach to Early Warnings for All Effective multi-hazard early warning systems depend on collaboration across institutions and sectors. Participants in the workshop are examining capacities and gaps across the interconnected components of early warning, including: disaster risk knowledge and information; detection, observation, monitoring, analysis and forecasting; warning dissemination and communication; preparedness and response capabilities; institutional coordination and governance; and community awareness and the ability of people to understand and act on warnings. The International Telecommunication Union highlighted the importance of regulatory, institutional and technological arrangements that allow trusted warning messages to reach all people through multiple, inclusive and accessible communication channels. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent also emphasized the importance of community awareness, capacity development, training, simulation exercises and stronger operational capacities at both national and local levels. Together, these elements are essential to ensure that early warning is not simply about issuing an alert, but about enabling timely and informed action that saves lives and reduces losses. Towards a national roadmap The outcomes of the workshop are expected to inform the development of a multi-year national roadmap for strengthening Syria’s multi-hazard early warning system, identifying institutional and technical priorities, areas requiring partner support and immediate actions that can be advanced over the coming months. The process contributes to the global Early Warnings for All initiative and complements Syria’s broader efforts to strengthen disaster risk governance, preparedness and resilience. For UNDRR, the workshop forms part of continued support to Syria to strengthen risk knowledge, institutional capacities and preparedness and to establish a national multi-hazard early warning system that places people and communities at its centre.
Syria advances towards a national multi-hazard early warning system
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