Early Warning Systems (EWS) for different types of hazards

The occurrence of glacier lake outburst flooding (GLOF) events in Nepal is potentially increasing due to various factors, including climate change.

With a focus on community-based risk reduction - and encompassing much-needed non-structural risk reduction measures such as early warning systems, awareness-raising, coordinated preparedness and land use planning - the objective of this project (2013-2017) was to reduce human and material losses from GLOF in Solukhumbu district and catastrophic flooding events in the Terai and Churia Range.  

Cambodia is facing mounting development challenges due to climate change. Longer dry seasons and shorter, more intense rainy seasons are resulting in increased frequency and severity of disasters, including floods and droughts. Recovery from such events stretches limited public resources and forces shifts in development priorities. At the same time, climate change is also impacting agricultural production, affecting household level income and putting pressure on food security.

Mangroves cover more than 5% of the total area of Cuba and play a vital protective role against effects of storm surges and sea level rise. This UNDP-supported project, "Reduction of vulnerability to coastal flooding through ecosystem-based adaptation in the south of Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces," seeks to reduce the vulnerability of communities in coastal areas of Artemisa and Mayabeque provinces from climate change related coastal erosion, flooding and saltwater intrusion.

Coastal communities in southern Thailand are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Over recent decades, tropical storms, cyclones, floods and coastal erosion have become more frequent and severe, with increasing loss of life and damage to livelihoods, property and infrastructure. Climate change is projected to aggravate existing problems through increased frequency and intensity of existing climate hazards and rising sea levels.

The EWS project in Gambia responds directly to the priorities and actions identified in the NAPA of Gambia. The NAPA articulates the need for securing, transferring and installing critical technologies, as well as developing the necessary systems for climate change-related information to permeate into decision-making processes.

This project, Reducing Climate Change-induced Risks and Vulnerabilities from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in the Punakha-Wangdi and Chamkhar Valleys, was identified by the National Adaptation Programme of Action of Bhutan as a national priority to address the adverse impacts of climate change. Its goal is to enhance adaptive capacity to climate change-induced disaster impacts in Bhutan.

The goal of the project is to reduce the country's environmental, social and economic vulnerability to the increased incidence of wildfires in order to adapt to climate change effects. This is to be achieved through a biome-scale change in the fire management approach from reactive fire-fighting to proactive integrated fire management (IFM), including managing the ecosystem through controlled burns. 

Source: UNDP South Africa Project Information Questionnaire 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with the Government of Guinea-Bissau to ensure a new tranche of US$6 milion from the Global Environment Facility's Least Developed Countries Fund is used to improve climate services and early warning systems in this West African nation.

The Himalayan Karakorum Hindukush (HKH) Mountain region contains the second largest glacier in the world and acts as the main source for river systems in the area. However, it is also prone to climate-related hazards such as floods, avalanches and landslides, which occur annually and can cause significant human and material losses. Rapid glacial melt due to climate change is causing increased water flow into glacier lakes, threatening the prospect of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).

Facing the need to increase the resilience of Samoa's forest areas on which local communities significantly rely upon for their livelihoods, the project aims at implementing alternative forestry management approaches and technique, supported through creating an enabling environment to build institutional and technical capacities.