Bangladesh adopts 2025–2030 EW4All roadmap to expand nationwide early warning systems

“The roadmap is not just a plan, but a commitment to safeguarding vulnerable communities,” said Mr Faruk E. Azam, Adviser to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

Bangladesh has taken a major step toward protecting communities from climate-related and natural hazards by formally adopting its Early Warnings for All (EW4All) National Roadmap 2025–2030. The roadmap was endorsed during a national dissemination and sharing workshop held on 30 November 2025 in Dhaka, bringing together government leaders, technical agencies, development partners and humanitarian organizations.

Developed under an inter-pillar EW4All project funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the roadmap provides a strategic framework for building an end-to-end, people-centred Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS). Bangladesh—one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries—experiences frequent cyclones, floods, lightning, heatwaves and river erosion. Strengthening early warning capacity is considered central to safeguarding lives and livelihoods.

A Commitment to Protecting Vulnerable Communities

“The roadmap is not just a plan, but a commitment to safeguarding vulnerable communities,” said Mr Faruk E. Azam, Adviser to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief. The adoption of the document aligns with Bangladesh’s long-standing leadership in disaster risk reduction and its goal of ensuring that everyone in the country receives timely, actionable early warning information.

The roadmap outlines coordinated measures to:

• Strengthen hazard and risk data systems

• Improve monitoring and forecasting of multiple hazards

• Modernize dissemination and last-mile communication channels

• Expand community preparedness programmes across all districts

• Enhance inter-agency collaboration and information-sharing mechanisms

Born from an Inclusive, Nationwide Consultation Process

The roadmap is the result of a two-year national consultation process that began with a high-level launch workshop in November 2023. Subsequent rounds of inter-pillar workshops and sector-specific consultations identified gaps, mapped existing capabilities, estimated budgets and outlined priority actions.

The EW4All rollout in Bangladesh was supported by funding from Sweden and guided by the initiative’s four global leads:

• UNDRR – Disaster risk governance

• WMO – Hazard monitoring and forecasting

• ITU – Communication and dissemination systems

• IFRC – Community preparedness and response

Additional support came from the World Food Programme (WFP), the IFRC Bangladesh office, civil society and academic institutions.

National Workshop: Collaboration and Investment as Key Drivers

The national workshop gathered more than 100 participants, including senior government representatives, international agencies, NGOs, private sector partners and academic experts. Discussions highlighted the importance of:

• Improved inter-agency coordination to align responsibilities across government bodies

• Investment in technology and digital systems, including hydrometeorological equipment and communication platforms

• Sustainable financing, drawing from national budgets, development financing and international climate funds

Participants reaffirmed their commitment to beginning implementation of priority actions immediately.

Next Steps: Operationalizing the Roadmap

Following the adoption, EW4All national and international pillar leads—including DDM, BMD, BWDB, FFWC, BTRC and BRCS—convened on 1 December 2025 to map priority activities for implementation. These will be supported by ongoing efforts such as CREWS South Asia and new projects to be developed in line with roadmap priorities.

The meeting concluded with agreement to design a new national EW4All project that will mobilize resources for activities not yet financed, ensuring full implementation of the roadmap across all hazard types and all regions of Bangladesh.

As one of the earliest countries to fully adopt a national EW4All roadmap, Bangladesh positions itself as a global leader in disaster preparedness—setting a model for climate-vulnerable nations worldwide striving to protect communities through inclusive, people-centred early warning systems.