Caribbean and UN leaders were on hand for the first regional launch of a plan to ensure that every person on the planet is protected by early warning systems by 2027, held in Bridgetown, Barbados on Tuesday.
The event aimed to mobilize Prime Ministers to support the Early Warnings for All initiative (EW4ALL) in the face of mounting climate hazards.
2021 was the region’s fourth costliest hurricane season on record, with 21 named storms, including seven hurricanes.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced EW4ALL at the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt in November.
The initiative calls for investment across disaster risk knowledge, observations and forecasting, preparedness and response, and communication of early warnings, with particularly priority placed on vulnerable communities.
It outlines initial new targeted investments of $ 3.1 billion between now and 2027, equivalent to a cost of just 50 cents per person per year.