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This month from UNDRR: DRC launches Early Warnings for All, Translating strategy into action through Work Programme 2026-2027, Managing growing wildfire risks, Disaster data as the lever for climate action, and much more
DRC launches Early Warnings for All
On 28 January, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) launched the Early Warnings for All initiative in Kinshasa through a national workshop - a key step to protect communities from increasing climate-related disasters, including seasonal flooding, landslides, and droughts. The launch follows recent national decrees supported by UNDRR that strengthened the country’s disaster risk governance. UNDRR Head Kamal Kishore joined Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka and the UN Resident Coordinator to open the workshop, the outcomes of which will feed into the development of a national roadmap for a multi-hazard early warning system.
Countries across the globe are making tangible progress in turning the goal of universal early warning coverage into a reality. Recent updates highlight a whole-of-system approach to closing gaps in risk knowledge, hazard monitoring, early warning communication and community response. Explore the 2025 progress in Bangladesh, Haiti, Liberia, Mozambique, and Somalia.
Translating strategy into action through Work Programme 2026-2027
UNDRR has released its Work Programme for 2026-2027, which operationalises into Strategic Objectives the four catalytic focus areas of the new Strategic Framework 2026-2030: risk knowledge, locally-led DRR, financing, and recovery readiness. This Work Programme is an ambitious effort to close remaining gaps and accelerate progress to help countries reach the targets of the Sendai Framework, safeguard development gains and reduce humanitarian needs.
Managing growing wildfire risks
Reflecting on his experiences over the years, UNDRR Head Kamal Kishore shares what he views as the ten fundamentals of wildfire risk management. The insights emphasise that “prevention is the cure,” and call for greater partnerships and support to local communities. This includes enhancing local capacities and combining indigenous knowledge with modern tools to protect ecosystems and livelihoods, especially as fire seasons grow more severe.
This piece builds on UNDRR’s latest analysis on the invisible costs of wildfire disasters in 2025. Last year, wildfires burned through nearly 390 million hectares worldwide (an area almost as large as the European Union), with over half of the total area (nearly 246 million hectares) in Africa. That said, the costliest fire disaster of the year was the January fire around Los Angeles, which burned just 23,000 hectares but caused more than USD 53 billion in damage.
Disaster data as the lever for climate action
UNDRR convened from 3 to 5 December the Bonn Technical Forum to advance the use of data for integrated approaches for climate action and disaster risk reduction. A central focus of the forum was the rollout of DELTA Resilience - the next-generation system for tracking losses and damages - as an important means to better understand risks and inform early warning systems, financing decisions and recovery planning.
“New Arab moment” begins with Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems
From 17 to 18 December, the First Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness was hosted by the League of Arab States headquarters in Cairo, with the support of UNDRR. The forum gathered high-level representatives from governments, the League of Arab States, and the United Nations to chart a path toward accelerating Early Warnings for All in the Arab region. In an op-ed from Cairo, SRSG Kamal Kishore highlighted that a "new Arab moment" for resilience is underway, with an accelerating shift from focusing on post-disaster response to proactive prevention and resilience.
Advancing international law to protect people in disasters
On 16 December, a new chapter in global disaster risk reduction began with a push toward anchoring DRR in international law. The UN General Assembly adopted a modalities resolution that sets the time and place for negotiations on a legally binding instrument on the protection of persons in the event of disasters. The resolution now establishes a pathway with a UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries planned in Manila in early 2027.
Investment Advisory Board welcomes new members
On 12 December, UNDRR welcomed three new members to its Investment Advisory Board: Surabhi Mathur Visser, Gareth Price, and Kristian Flyvholm. The new members will further strengthen the Board’s expertise across sovereign investment, infrastructure finance, governance, and risk management, reinforcing its role as a collaborative platform to help scale investment in disaster and climate resilience.
UNDRR advance resilience across Arab States, Africa and Central Asia
In December and January, UNDRR supported critical capacity-building efforts across multiple countries. Mauritania launched a national climate intelligence initiative, while the Comoros held a national workshop on gender and disability-inclusive implementation of the Sendai Framework. In Yemen, consultative workshops were held in Aden to finalise the National Implementation Plan for DRR and Climate Change Adaptation (2026–2030). And in Tajikistan, the National DRR Platform convened to accelerate the implementation of the National DRR Strategy, while the National Pillar Leads convened a coordination meeting on the implementation of the National Roadmap on Enhancing the Early Warning System in the country.