The Early Warnings for All (EW4All) national consultation for Samoa was held in Apia, Samoa, from 9 to 11 September 2025. The consultation brought together representatives from the Samoa Government, non-governmental organizations (including the organizations of people with disability), the private sectors, United Nations (UN) entities, World Bank, development partners, and the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP).

Ms Lealaisalanoa Frances Brown Reupeni, Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), in her opening statement, welcomed the participants to the national consultation on the EW4All initiative; and highlighted that this is an important platform supporting and bringing together government, civil society, the private sector, communities, and international partners in a whole-of-society approach, an inclusive platform that bridges several sectors, science, and community wisdom. EW4All is a collective journey with the aim of strengthening Samoa’s resilience to natural hazards, disasters and climate change.

In 2022 at the UNFCCC COP27, the UN Secretary-General launched the EW4All initiative with the issuance of a global Executive Action Plan with an ambitious goal: cover everyone everywhere with live-saving early warnings. In the Pacific, the regionally led Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme, endorsed by Pacific Leaders in 2021, is a key vehicle for delivery of the EW4All initiative, along with support provided by the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative, Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF), climate funds and multilateral development banks, bilateral donors, and many implementing partners. EW4All comprises the four foundational pillars of an early warning system (EWS): Pillar 1: Disaster risk knowledge; Pillar 2: Detection, Observation, Monitoring, Analysis and Forecasting of Hazards; Pillar 3: Warning Dissemination and Communication; and Pillar 4: Preparedness and Response Capabilities.

In March 2023, Samoa was identified as one of the five Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS, together with Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tonga) among the first group of countries globally to receive coordinated and targeted support under the EW4All Initiative. Hence, the organization of the EW4All Workshop for Samoa from 9 to 11 September 2025 to start the roll out the EW4All Initiative in Samoa.

The EW4All Initiative aims to help governments put in place a structured framework for strengthening a people-centred multi-hazard early warning system (MHEWS). Key components are an inclusive multi-stakeholder consultation, a national coordination mechanism, and a national EW4All/MHEWS action plan or roadmap, around which all actors can marshal coordinated resources, technical assistance, and long-term support.

Ms Karla Hershey, UN Resident Coordinator in Samoa, in delivering her remarks, re-emphasized that national consultation is critical to take stock of Samoa’s early warning capabilities, identify gaps and priority actions, and co-create a national MHEWS roadmap that outlines budget estimates and support from partners and donors and that is inclusive, actionable, and sustainable. The UN system stands ready to support Samoa in this journey.

The workshop concluded with the way forward on the development of Samoa’s national roadmap for MHEWS.

The organization of the EW4All national consultation for Samoa – which will include further workshops – is led by the Samoa Government through MNRE, with the support from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), ITU (International Telecommunication Union), and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) as the respective EW4Al Pillar leads, as well as from CREWS and the World Bank.