Observation is the foundation of protection. 

Satellites track storms, sensors measure rainfall, and networks monitor rising seas but these observations only safeguard tomorrow if they reach everyone today. In April 2020, as Tropical Cyclone Harold barreled toward Fiji, radio announcements warned communities to prepare. 

Yet for Ana, a deaf woman in Lautoka, the warnings were silent. 

For others with low literacy or visual impairments, the technical bulletins were incomprehensible. 

The Fiji Red Cross Society reported that while over 10,000 people received assistance, many vulnerable groups struggled to access timely information and evacuation support. The UNDRR’s 2024 case study on Fiji’s multi-hazard early warning systems confirms that while national frameworks exist, accessibility remains a major gap. Alerts delivered through single channels — radio, SMS, or sirens — exclude those with hearing or visual impairments. The universal truth is clear: observing today must mean protecting tomorrow for everyone.

The Inclusion Gap

Observation is only as strong as its reach. 

Across the Pacific, persons with disabilities consistently report being left behind during emergencies, even when national systems are in place. The UNDRR’s 2023 thematic report on disability inclusion in disaster risk reduction found that many countries rely on single-channel alerts — sirens, SMS, or radio — that excludes those with hearing or visual impairments (UNDRR, 2023). Messages are often not available in sign language, plain language, or tactile formats, leaving people unable to act on critical information.

Consultations led by the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) and CBM Global in 2022 revealed that persons with disabilities are rarely involved in the design of disaster preparedness systems, meaning solutions are created without lived experience (PDF & CBM Global, 2022). The result is clear: warnings that may be technically sound remain practically inaccessible.

The Pacific Disability-Inclusive Humanitarian and Resilient Development Strategy 2025–2035 emphasizes that accessibility is still treated as an “add-on” rather than a design principle, undermining both rights and effectiveness (Pacific Strategy, 2025–2035). When systems fail to reach those most at risk, they fail the entire community. Observing today must mean observing inclusively — because only then can tomorrow’s protection be trusted and effective.

What Good Looks Like

Observation is not just about collecting data — it is about ensuring that the information is accessible, trusted, and actionable for everyone. An inclusive early warning system in the Pacific must begin with co-creation alongside organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs). Evidence from the Pacific Disability Forum’s 2022 consultations shows that when OPDs are engaged from the outset, warnings are more trusted and more widely acted upon (Pacific Disability Forum & CBM Global, 2022).

Systems should use multiple communication modalities — audio, visual, tactile, and digital — that reinforce one another. During Cyclone Gita in Tonga (2018), community radio combined with church networks and door-to-door outreach proved far more effective than sirens alone, especially for older persons and those with disabilities (UNDRR, 2018). These examples show that observing today through diverse channels ensures tomorrow’s protection for all.

Universal design must be embedded in policies and technologies. The World Meteorological Organization’s 2023 guidance on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems stresses that accessibility should be a design principle, not an afterthought (WMO, 2023). Locally led networks — women’s groups, youth groups, and village leaders — are vital in bridging communication barriers. In Vanuatu, women-led community disaster committees have successfully adapted warnings into Bislama and plain language formats, ensuring that alerts reach the “last mile.”

Inclusive systems are not more complicated — they are more resilient, more trusted, and ultimately more effective. By embedding accessibility into every stage, Pacific nations can build warning systems that protect everyone, not just the majority. This is what observing today, protecting tomorrow looks like in practice.

Pacific Proof Points

The Pacific is already demonstrating how inclusive observation and warning systems can protect tomorrow. In Fiji, the government and partners under the Climate Resilient Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative have strengthened standard operating procedures across agencies, ensuring clearer responsibilities and more consistent communication during cyclones (CREWS, 2024).

The Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) has emphasized tailoring risk information to local contexts, noting that communities respond best when warnings are delivered in familiar languages and formats (PRP, 2024). In Vanuatu, women-led disaster committees have translated warnings into Bislama and plain language formats, ensuring that persons with disabilities and low-literacy users can act on them. Similarly, consultations by the Pacific Disability Forum in 2022 highlighted how indigenous knowledge and community networks — such as church groups and village leaders — are vital for bridging communication gaps (Pacific Disability Forum & CBM Global, 2022).

These examples prove that the region is not starting from zero. There is leadership, innovation, and momentum already underway. The Pacific’s strengths — community solidarity, indigenous knowledge, and women-led initiatives — offer powerful platforms for reaching people with diverse communication needs. By observing today through inclusive, locally led approaches, the Pacific is protecting tomorrow with systems that are trusted, resilient, and effective.

The Payoff

Inclusive observation and warning systems deliver benefits far beyond any single group. When warnings are clearer, accessible, and delivered through multiple formats, communities act faster and more safely. The World Meteorological Organization’s Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (2023) confirms that accessibility-focused systems reduce response times and increase compliance (WMO, 2023).

In Samoa, lessons from Cyclone Evan (2012) prompted reforms in disaster communication. The government worked with village councils and church networks to deliver warnings in plain language and multiple formats, ensuring persons with disabilities, older persons, and low-literacy users could act. According to the UNDRR’s 2024 Pacific report, Samoa’s integration of community networks into national systems has significantly improved trust and response rates (UNDRR, 2024).

This example underscores the broader payoff: inclusion isn’t only about one group — it strengthens the entire system. By embedding accessibility, Pacific nations close gaps for persons with disabilities while simultaneously building resilience for remote communities, migrants, and older populations. Observing today with inclusivity ensures tomorrow’s protection is stronger, faster, and more trusted.

What Partners Can Do Now

Observation without accessibility is observation without protection. Donors, governments, and technical agencies in the Pacific can act decisively to embed disability inclusion into early warning systems. The Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) has emphasized that accessibility must be treated as a core system investment, not an optional add-on (PRP, 2024).

Evidence from the Fiji Climate Resilient Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative shows that involving organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) throughout design, testing, drills, and evaluation leads to stronger trust and uptake of warnings (CREWS, 2024). Standard checklists — such as those promoted by UNDRR’s Checklist on Inclusive Early Warning Systems (2023) — provide practical frameworks for governments and agencies to ensure accessibility is consistently applied (UNDRR, 2023).

Partners should also invest in community-based communication channels and redundancies. In Tonga, lessons from Cyclone Gita (2018) demonstrated that combining SMS alerts with church networks and door-to-door outreach ensured warnings reached persons with disabilities and older persons who might otherwise be excluded (UNDRR, 2018). Donors can further support pilots that demonstrate scalable inclusive models tailored to Pacific island contexts, creating evidence that can be replicated regionally.

This is not a critique — it is a call to partnership. By embedding accessibility into every stage, partners can help the Pacific lead globally in showing what “observing today, protecting tomorrow” looks like in practice.

Closing Call to Action

Early warning systems are among the most cost-effective climate and disaster risk investments, but their true value lies in reaching everyone. In the Pacific, where cyclones, floods, and volcanic activity are intensifying, exclusion is not an option. Evidence from UNDRR’s 2024 Pacific report shows that inclusive systems — those designed with accessibility, multiple communication channels, and community networks — save more lives and build greater trust (UNDRR, 2024). Partners now have a clear opportunity: commit to inclusive early warning systems that reflect the Pacific’s strengths — community solidarity, indigenous knowledge, and women-led initiatives. Doing so will not only protect persons with disabilities but also strengthen resilience for remote villages, older persons, migrants, and low-literacy users.

This is the essence of World Meteorological Day 2026: observing today with inclusivity, so that tomorrow’s protection is universal. The Pacific can lead the world in showing how observation, when accessible to all, becomes the foundation of resilience and trust.