Rwanda: From Japan to Rwanda, Early Warnings Are Saving Lives - but Millions Remain Unprotected

What the report says

UN Secretary-General António Guterres used a high-level event at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, to press for universal early warning coverage by the end of 2027. Citing a new UN report, he said early warning systems are already helping save lives, but that millions of people still do not receive timely alerts. The report, from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Meteorological Organization, says 136 countries now report multi-hazard early warning systems, an increase from March 2025.

The UN material highlighted examples of warnings leading to faster action in several places, including Japan after a strong offshore earthquake, Ecuador’s Galápagos islands before possible waves, Madagascar ahead of Cyclone Gezani, and Rwanda’s Karongi district, where alerts reached a tea farmer through local channels before heavy rain. In Rwanda, the warning gave households time to protect crops and prepare for flooding impacts.

Guterres said major gaps remain in least developed countries, small island states and conflict-affected countries, and warned that some regions still lack the weather monitoring capacity needed to issue reliable alerts. He called for early warning systems to be treated as a permanent public service, with better financing and stronger country-led planning. The report also says anticipatory action is expanding, with 146 activations in 54 countries reaching 9.6 million people in 2025.