Yerevan, Armenia, 17 March 2026 - Armenia is taking a major step toward strengthening its national disaster preparedness and climate resilience. Government institutions, international organizations and development partners gathered in Yerevan on 17 March for the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) National Roadmap Validation Workshop, aimed at advancing a coordinated national system that can anticipate hazards, deliver timely warnings and enable communities to act before disasters strike.

The workshop brought together over 70 participants from relevant ministries, agencies, telecommunication operators, UN agencies, NGOs, development partners and international financial institutions.  

The event was organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in partnership with the UNDP, globalEW4ALL pillar leads (UNDRR, WMO, ITU and IFRC) and UN RCO and contributes to the establishment of a comprehensive Early Warning System Policy in line with the requirements of the recently adopted RA Law on “Disaster Risk Management and Population Protection.

Armine Hayrapetyan, Deputy Head of the MIA Operational Management Center opened the workshop by welcoming the participants and underscoring the central role of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “By reinforcing institutional coordination and preparedness mechanisms, we aim to ensure that early warnings lead to timely and effective response across all regions of the country”, she noted. 

Levon Azizyan, Director of the Armhydromet noted, that “The early warning systems (EWS) rely on strong coordination between science, government institutions  and communities, and in this regard, the EW4All roadmap is an important step toward strengthening such cooperation to ensure that risk information leads to timely and coordinated action”. 

Mrs. Françoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia presented, that the EW4ALL was initiated by the UN Secretary General in 2022 to ensure, that every person on Earth is protected by multi-hazard early warning systems by the end of 2027. 

“Early warnings ensure, that the people are informed in advance that a flood is coming, that a family can evacuate safely before a landslide occurs, and that emergency services are prepared before a storm strikes.” said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General in a video message to the workshop. She emphasized that the WMO is ready to assist Armenia in strengthening its detection, observation, monitoring, analysis and forecasting capabilities.

“Early warning systems are a cornerstone of disaster risk reduction and risk-informed development,” said Sebastien Penzini, Deputy Head of the UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. He emphasized the importance of the roadmap and its implementation, in line with the DRM National Strategy and in coordination with ongoing initiatives in the country. 

Kornélia Radics, WMO Director of Regional Office for Europe highlighted that reliable forecasting systems, observation networks and capacity to translate scientific data into practical services are the backbone of advanced EWSs, that people and institutions can use”. 

“An early warning is only effective if it reaches people quickly, clearly and through channels they trust,” noted Natalia Mochu, Director of the ITU Regional Office for the Commonwealth of Independent States. “Strengthening telecommunications infrastructure, digital alert technologies and interoperability will help ensure that warning messages reach communities across the country, including those in remote or hard-to-reach areas.”

“Preparedness at the community level is essential for the success of any early warning system,” added Maria Alcazar Castilla, Deputy Regional Director for Europe at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “Local volunteers, community networks and awareness programmes play a vital role in helping people understand risks and respond effectively when warnings are issued.”

“Very few investments can have such immediate and tangible impact as timely early warnings,” noted Artak Voskanyan, UNDP Project Coordinator. “Our objective is to support Armenia in moving from a draft roadmap to a nationally owned legislative framework that will guide coordinated investments and strengthen early warning systems in the years ahead.”

The roadmap is structured around four core pillars of effective early warning systems: disaster risk knowledge, detection and forecasting, warning dissemination and communication, and preparedness to respond, which were all presented during the event by the EW4ALL pillar leads. It was developed following a comprehensive national self-assessment workshop conducted in November 2025, which brought together key stakeholders to identify gaps, capacities and priorities across all four pillars of early warning systems

Facilitated group discussions were organized to discuss, refine and validate the priority actions outlined in the roadmap for the period 2026–2030 in all mentioned directions. 

The results of these thematic discussions were then presented during an inclusive plenary session, helping to further refine priority actions, clarify institutional roles and responsibilities, and explore opportunities for financing and partnerships to support the roadmap’s implementation. Development partners commended the strong ownership demonstrated by national institutions and highlighted opportunities for strengthened international cooperation to support Armenia’s modernization of early warning systems.

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants reaffirmed their joint commitment to advancing the initiative and translating early warnings into timely early actions that save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen Armenia’s resilience to climate-related and natural hazards.

A Joint Statement on the Implementation of the Early Warnings for All Initiative in Armenia was endorsed, reaffirming the shared commitment to strengthening multi-hazard early warning systems and mobilizing coordinated national and international support for the roadmap’s implementation in the coming years.