Second Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness
12-14 October 2026 · Tunis, Tunisia
Background
Launched by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2022, the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative set an ambitious global goal: ensuring every person on Earth is protected by people-centred, multi-hazard early warning systems by 2027. It advances Sendai Framework Target G.
As the initiative approaches its five-year milestone in 2027, the global focus is shifting from establishing systems to making sure they are operational, sustainable, nationally owned, inclusive and able to address increasingly complex, interconnected and cascading risks.
The Arab region faces growing and interconnected risks. Water scarcity, prolonged droughts, extreme heat, flash floods, tropical cyclones, sand and dust storms, earthquakes, sea-level rise and coastal erosion are occurring alongside rapid urbanization, population displacement and protracted crises.
The Second Forum builds on the First Arab Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness, held in Cairo in December 2025. Its outcomes will feed into an Arab regional synthesis report, to be published in 2027. That report will inform a global report and a high-level event in mid-2027 that concludes the EW4All regional-to-global consultative process.
You can also contribute to the global picture: take part in the EW4All global consultation survey.
Take stock
Review regional progress, achievements, challenges and remaining gaps in early warning and disaster preparedness, including under EW4All.
Accelerate implementation
Discuss how to speed up the four EW4All pillars through sustainable financing, innovation, technology, public-private partnerships and South-South knowledge exchange.
Agree priorities
Identify partnerships, commitments and regional priorities for sustaining multi-hazard early warning systems, and shape the Arab regional synthesis report.
Inform global dialogue
Provide strategic inputs to the 2027 Arab Regional Platform and the 2028 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Preliminary agenda
All times are local time in Tunis (CET, UTC+1). The agenda is preliminary and may change. You can also download the agenda (PDF).
Day 1 - Monday, 12 October
Accelerating Early Warnings for All
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00-10:00 | Opening Ceremony Accelerating Early Warnings for All in the Arab Region Session lead: LAS |
| 10:00-11:30 | Scene Setting: Implementation of EWS in the Arab region Session lead: LAS |
| 11:30-12:00 | Coffee Break |
| 12:00-13:30 | Strengthening Risk Knowledge for Effective Early Warning Systems Focusing on displacement, human mobility and fragile contexts Session lead: IOM |
| 13:30-14:30 | Lunch Break |
| 14:30-16:00 | Strengthening Monitoring and Forecasting for Effective Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Impact-based forecasting: translating risk profiles into forecasts Session lead: WMO |
| 16:00-17:30 | Mobile Early Warning Systems for All: Unlocking the Power of Cell Broadcast and CAP for Last-Mile Alerting Advancing inclusive, people-centred warning dissemination through telecommunications and digital innovation Session lead: ITU |
Day 2 - Tuesday, 13 October
Strengthening partnerships and investing in resilience
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00-10:30 | International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) Commemoration Session lead: UNDRR, LAS |
| 10:30-11:30 | Coffee Break |
| 11:30-13:00 | From Early Warning to Early Action: Strengthening Preparedness, Anticipatory Action and Community-Centred Early Warning Systems Session lead: IFRC, UNDP |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00-15:30 | Financing the Future of Early Warning Systems Mobilizing investments for sustainable multi-hazard early warning systems Session lead: UNDRR, UNDP |
| 15:30-16:30 | Resilience Starts at Home: Communities at the Heart of Early Warning and Preparedness Showcasing locally led practices that translate risk information and early warnings into practical action at household and community levels, with a particular focus on experiences from Tunisia Session lead: UNDRR, ARCO, IFRC |
Day 3 - Wednesday, 14 October
Future-proofing early warning systems beyond 2027
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00-10:30 | From Forecast to Action: Preparing the Arab Region for El Niño Using climate intelligence, technology and early warning to anticipate cascading risks Session lead: UNDRR, WMO |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00-12:00 | Smart Warnings, Safer Futures: AI, Innovation and Emerging Technologies for Early Warning Systems Harnessing AI, digital transformation and emerging technologies for early warning systems Session lead: ITU |
| 12:00-13:00 | Beyond Early Warning Strengthening preparedness, recovery readiness and resilient communities Session lead: FAO |
| 13:00-14:00 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00-15:30 | Arab Vision: Shaping the Future of Early Warning Systems Regional priorities and recommendations to enhance multi-hazard early warning systems Session lead: LAS and partners |
| 15:30-16:00 | Closing Ceremony Towards a Resilient Arab Region: Early warnings as a global public good Session lead: LAS |
Who will be there
Over 150 participants engaged in early warning systems and disaster risk reduction across the Arab region.
Governments
National disaster management authorities, meteorological and hydrological services, civil protection and interior authorities, and ministries of planning, finance, telecommunications, environment, water, agriculture, health, infrastructure and local government.
Regional and international
The League of Arab States and other regional organizations, UN entities and the EW4All pillar leads (WMO, UNDRR, ITU and IFRC), and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Finance and private sector
Financial institutions, climate finance mechanisms and development banks; telecoms and mobile network operators, satellite providers, geospatial firms, AI and technology companies, insurers and infrastructure operators.
Knowledge, civil society and media
Universities and research centres, youth, women's organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, community-based organizations, humanitarian and development partners, and the media.
What comes out of the Forum
The Forum is designed to produce shared commitments, practical recommendations and a clear regional picture of progress and remaining gaps.
Outcome statement
Regional commitments, priority actions and partnership opportunities for accelerating sustainable multi-hazard early warning systems, in line with Sendai Framework Target G and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020-2030.
Regional recommendations
Agreed recommendations and Arab regional inputs to the EW4All regional-to-global consultative process, the 2027 Arab Regional Platform and the 2028 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Regional synthesis
Documented progress, lessons learned, operational gaps, investment priorities and emerging opportunities, to inform the Arab regional synthesis report.
Get involved
Download the concept note and agenda for full details of the Forum, and contribute to the global consultation on early warning progress.
Organizers
The Second Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness is hosted by the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), under the umbrella of the League of Arab States (LAS). It is organized jointly with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and supported by other regional and international partners.
Event details
Date
12-14 October 2026
Location
Tunis, Tunisia
Host
Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), under the umbrella of the League of Arab States
Contact
Please direct all correspondence relating to this forum to the UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States: