Perspectives from the Global South of people-centred multi-hazard early warning systems: opportunities and challenges

Despite global initiatives, such as the Early Warnings for All initiative, operational realities lag behind when implementing people-centred Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) that consider multi-hazard interactions and take a first-mile, systems approach in the Global South.  

This session will share perspectives from Practical Action, an international development organisation working in Latin America, Africa and Asia, to explore the diverse needs of the most at-risk and marginalised, and how core concepts of multi-hazard thinking integrate into different pillars and cross-cutting components of a MHEWS. 

The session will highlight the mismatch between current ambitions and realities on the ground. Drawing on extensive experience from Practical Action, we will identify opportunities and challenges of moving towards MHEWS, emphasising the need for localised, inclusive strategies that genuinely address the diverse needs of the most vulnerable populations and fully encompass the meaning of multi-hazards, including hazard interrelationships, the dynamics of risk components, and the complexity of multi-hazard impacts.