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This month from UNDRR: new tools and guidance to strengthen early warning systems, growing momentum on urban resilience at the global level, and partnerships advancing disaster risk reduction across the Americas, Africa, the Arab region and Asia-Pacific and more inside.
Can artificial intelligence help close the early warning gap
A highlight of the AI for Good Global Summit 2026 was the release of Leveraging AI to Enhance Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, a new report developed under the Early Warnings for All initiative. The report examines how AI can strengthen every stage of multi-hazard early warning systems - from risk understanding and forecasting to warning dissemination and early action.
Drawing on experiences from around the world, including from partners such as Google, the report highlights concrete solutions and emphasises that AI is not a solution in isolation but requires strong infrastructure, partnerships, and a human-centred approach.
New guidance helps countries strengthen early warning systems through learning
UNDRR, together with WMO, ITU and IFRC, has published new methodological guidance on conducting After-Event Reviews (AERs) of Early Warning Systems. The guidance provides countries with a practical framework to assess how early warning systems performed after hazardous events, identify strengths and gaps, and develop actionable recommendations for improvement. By promoting a learning-oriented, non-punitive approach, AERs help strengthen early warning systems across the warning value chain and support continuous improvement under the Early Warnings for All initiative.
Join the global launch webinar on 4 August to learn how countries can institutionalize After-Event Reviews as a routine part of strengthening multi-hazard early warning systems.
Ensuring early warning systems reach mobile populations
People on the move, including displaced people, refugees, migrants in vulnerable situations and others affected by changing locations or circumstances, often face barriers to receiving timely warnings. A new operational guidance from UNDRR, WMO, IFRC and ITU provides practical recommendations for designing and implementing people-centred, inclusive multi-hazard early warning systems that effectively reach and protect mobile populations.
Urban resilience at the forefront of global development discussions
Urban resilience was high on the international agenda as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), Kamal Kishore, travelled to New York for the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Midterm Review of the New Urban Agenda.
With SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) under review this year, UNDRR contributed to a range of events and discussions highlighting the importance of risk-informed urban development and resilient infrastructure. This included an interview at the SDG Media Zone on the theme for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2026 on 13 October: Resilience Starts at Home.
UN leaders unite to accelerate resilience action
Under the leadership of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and SRSG Kishore, 36 UN entities came together on 14 July for a meeting of the UN Senior Leadership Group on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience. The meeting focused on how the UN system can strengthen coordinated support to countries and communities amid rising disaster risks, shrinking resources and ongoing UN reforms. The leaders adopted the updated UN Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience 2030 targets and 2026–2027 priority actions to guide joint UN work at the country level.
Wildfire risk in focus
As severe wildfires affect multiple regions across the globe, access to reliable knowledge and practical solutions is more important than ever. PreventionWeb’s new Wildfire Portal brings together trusted research, data, policy guidance and real-world experiences to help the disaster risk reduction community better understand and manage wildfire risk.
How the Americas and the Caribbean should prepare for El Niño
As forecasts point to the potential impacts of El Niño, UNDRR's Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean highlights the importance of preparedness and anticipatory action. In an article titled “The impact of El Niño will be shaped by what we decide today,” they call for turning forecasts into risk-informed decision-making to reduce potential losses, with a focus on protecting water and food security, alongside critical infrastructure.
Video: An El Nino forecast is not a cause for panic – it is an earliest warning
Estimating the impact of Venezuela’s Earthquakes
UNDRR's Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean released an Analytical Estimate of Damages Caused by the June 24, 2026 Earthquakes in Venezuela. Using analytical modelling, the preliminary analysis estimates direct damages of approximately US$37 billion, including US$24 billion in damage to buildings and US$13 billion to infrastructure. As these figures do not include indirect economic losses and disruptions, the overall impact of the earthquakes is expected to be significantly higher.
Why resilience deserves a seat in the corporate boardroom
UNDRR and partners under the Corporate Chief Resilience Officer (CCRO) Network advanced the case for business resilience through an article published in the Harvard Business Review. The article “The Case for Hiring a Chief Resilience Officer” explains why resilience is increasingly becoming a strategic priority for business leaders navigating a world of interconnected risks and cascading impacts.
One-UN approach to building resilience in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste faces interconnected risks from climate change, disasters, food insecurity, poverty, infrastructure gaps and social vulnerability. Through a multidimensional risk analysis facilitated by UNDRR’s Regional Office for Asia-Pacific, the Government and UN partners developed a shared understanding of how these risks intersect, informing joint programming and priorities under the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026–2030. In conjunction with the country’s first national Disaster Risk Reduction strategy, the UN is supporting a shift from disaster response to prevention and risk-informed development.
Strengthening whole-of-society partnerships in the Arab Region
Representatives from stakeholder groups across the Arab region met on 2 July to strengthen collaboration and accelerate implementation of the Sendai Framework through the Arab Priority Action Plan 2025–2027. The meeting was a reaffirmation that reducing disaster risks is a joint responsibility that requires collaboration among governments and non-governmental actors, including civil society, academia, youth, the private sector and the media.
Africa Early Warnings Forum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2-4 September 2026
Registration is now open. The forum will take stock of progress, identify operational priorities, and mobilise the financing and innovation needed to accelerate implementation by and beyond 2027.