COP31| Fiji Reaffirms Commitment to Ensuring no one is Left Behind in Global Early Warning Systems

Fiji has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening inclusive, community-based early warning systems, calling for sustained financing, stronger local capacity and continued international cooperation to ensure vulnerable communities are protected from the escalating impacts of climate change.

Delivering Fiji’s National Statement at the High-Level Event on Early Warnings for All at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Sakiasi Ditoka, emphasised that early warning systems are fundamental to protecting lives, livelihoods and hard-won development gains, particularly for Pacific Small Island Developing States.

In his intervention, Minister Ditoka also echoed the collective voice of Pacific Island countries at COP31, highlighting the region’s shared concerns over climate vulnerability, equitable access to climate finance, stronger adaptation support and the need to translate global climate commitments into practical outcomes for communities on the frontlines of climate change.

Minister Ditoka welcomed progress highlighted in the Global Status Report, including a 143 per cent increase in the number of countries with multi-hazard early warning systems since 2015. He acknowledged the importance of the global initiative led by the United Nations Secretary-General, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and other international partners.

However, he stressed that progress must translate into tangible protection for communities on the ground.

“Warnings must reach people in time, in forms they understand and from sources they trust. The last mile matters most,” Minister Ditoka said.

He highlighted three priorities for advancing the global initiative.

First, early warning systems must be strengthened at the community level, combining modern technology with trusted local networks, including village heads, faith leaders, women’s groups and community volunteers.

Second, financing must cover the entire early warning chain. Beyond investment in infrastructure such as weather radars and monitoring sensors, countries require predictable and accessible financing to sustain operations, maintenance and local technical capacity, particularly in Small Island Developing States.

Third, the 2027 target for Early Warnings for All must serve as a milestone rather than an endpoint. Fiji called for the initiative to continue beyond 2027, with stronger integration into climate adaptation, anticipatory action and risk-informed development, consistent with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

Minister Ditoka also drew attention to the immediate climate challenges confronting Fiji and the wider Pacific, noting that the country is experiencing a strong to very strong El Niño event, intensifying dry conditions across the islands, with impacts expected to persist into early to mid-2027.

He warned that prolonged dry conditions, alongside the possibility of a strong tropical cyclone crossing the Southern Hemisphere, underscore the importance of preparing for multiple and potentially overlapping climate hazards.

“These evolving conditions reinforce why early warning must go beyond forecasting. It must inform anticipatory action, strengthen preparedness and enable communities and governments to act before disasters strike,” he said.

Fiji expressed its readiness to support the coalition being launched at the event and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening community-based early warning systems while sharing Pacific experiences and expertise through regional cooperation.

Concluding his statement, Minister Ditoka reiterated Fiji’s central message to the international community:

“NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT UNWARNED. TOGETHER, WE MUST TURN THAT COMMITMENT INTO ACTION.”