“Disasters remind us that we are world citizens, whether we like it or not.”
The world’s first regional launch of the Early Warnings For All Initiative has taken place in Barbados led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who spoke with conviction about the disasters faced by her region and by nations around the world.
In October 2022, when UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched The Executive Action Plan for the Early Warnings for All at COP27, he called on the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to co-lead the initiative and implement it in collaboration with a wide range of global partners — with a timeline that would see universal coverage within five years.
This plan calls for partnerships drawing together all sectors, at local, regional and international levels.
Prime Minister Mottley pointed out that when disasters hit, they strike across national boundaries — and our preparations and responses need be united.
“We speak this morning in Barbados, but we extend deepest sympathy on behalf of all of us to the people of Türkiye and Syria,” she said.