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The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has emphasised that effective early warning systems must go beyond just monitoring and forecasting to ensure communities can take timely and life-saving action.

Speaking during a stakeholder event in Suva, Gabrielle Emery, Head of the UNDRR Pacific Subregional Office, highlighted that early warning and early action are the foundations of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, often seen as the “low-hanging fruit” in this space.

However, she said it’s far from simple.

“An effective early warning system must be understood as a whole-of-government and whole-of-society system, While Fiji has made remarkable progress, particularly under the leadership of the Fiji Meteorological Service, we must think beyond observation and forecasting.”

She acknowledged the Fiji Met Service not only provides critical services locally but also supports other Pacific island nations.

Emery stressed that an early warning system must link risk information, monitoring, forecasting, and crucially, communications reaches and activates community response.

“The early warning system won’t be effective if it doesn’t result in early action from communities. That means ensuring the information reaches people in a way they understand and can act on, especially those in at-risk groups like the elderly, persons with disabilities, and children.”

Emery praised the work of the National Disaster Management Office , the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development, and other government agencies, while also pointing to the important role played by the media in ensuring warnings are communicated accurately and widely.

As part of the global Early Warnings for All initiative, which Fiji will begin implementing with government partners next year, efforts will focus on strengthening the full value chain of early warning systems—from data to action.

“One of the key gaps we see in Fiji is around risk communication. We must ensure communities are not just receiving information but are also prepared and empowered to act on it.”

The initiative aims to prioritize the most vulnerable communities, ensuring no one is left behind when disaster strikes.

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