INVESTMENT PRIORITIES
Early Warning Systems
Challenge
When severe weather strikes without warning, communities are often unprepared, putting their health and livelihoods at even greater risk. Integrated risk monitoring and early warning systems aim to anticipate risks and provide pre-emptive communications to affected populations in order to enable them to prepare and reduce the impact of these risks. Many women, however, do not have access to the technology and communication platforms where this information is disseminated. Without access to essential information about relief and protection services, women’s health, safety, agency, and mobility are at risk during climate disasters.
Opportunity to advance gender equality and SRHR
Ensuring that communities have access to accurate and timely information about forecasted severe weather events can improve their ability to prepare and protect their health and safety. Integrated risk monitoring and early warning systems, designed and led by women, can ensure that women’s priority concerns and access needs are centered during gender-responsive disaster-planning and response efforts. As a result, women can be better equipped to take necessary proactive measures to protect themselves, their families, and their property.
Recommended investments
Develop multi-channel early warning systems that use radio, sirens, interactive voice response (IVR) messages, social media, and SMS alerts.
Design early warning systems partnership with low-tech and low-literacy populations, especially young women and girls, to ensure inclusivity and access.
Develop open-source data dashboards to support monitoring, surveillance, and forecasting of potential climate disasters and can proactively trigger emergency response to protect vulnerable populations' health and safety.
Use Artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance detection, monitoring, and forecasting of events and to effectively communicate impending or ongoing disasters tailored to the needs of the target groups.
Illustrative metrics of success
Women and young people (representing a range of literacy rates, digital access, and rural/urban location) are involved in the message development and channel selection of the early warning system.
Female community members receive and comprehend information from the early warning system.
Morbidity and mortality, by age and gender, after each deployment of the early warning system (tracked over time) is reduced.
Vulnerable people are more prepared and better able to act based on the provision of timely and actionable guidance.
Case Study
Context
Fiji is subject to routine and disastrous cyclones and floods which flatten infrastructure, destroy life-saving crops, and displace and affect on average, 98% of the island’s population, the majority of whom are women and children.
Description of Climate-Gender-SRH Innovation
Women’s Weather Watch (WWW) is a two-way communication platform, led by Fijian women, to monitor and relay timely information to communities about impending extreme weather events and emergencies. The platform uses two-way community radio, SMS, social media, and local radio stations and media to communicate their messaging. All messages are approved by government officials to ensure alignment with national disaster communications and information. WWW women leaders are trained on how to interpret climate and weather information, send and receive SMS messages, and translate climate information in a way that resonates with traditional knowledge about the environment. Often, WWW alerts and warnings reach rural communities before authorities and humanitarian actors can disseminate warnings and relief, which has enabled communities to take proactive measures to ensure their safety and wellbeing. (Source: UN Women)
Key Partners
FemLINKpacific
Fiji Meteorological Service
Shifting the Power Coalition (StPC)
ActionAid Australia
Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Digicel Group