Early Warning as a Human Right: Building Resilience to Climate-related Hazards – Executive Summary

This document provides an analysis of the urgent need for robust, people-centred early warning systems to strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards. It draws on extensive consultations with policy makers, experts and vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Kenya. It highlights the increasing impact of climate change on human rights and emphasises that early warning is essential for the protection of fundamental rights such as life, health and access to resources. Using detailed survey results, it highlights differences in vulnerability, particularly among marginalised groups, and emphasises the importance of tailoring communication methods to the local context by combining high-tech and low-tech solutions. The document emphasises the importance of addressing the root causes of vulnerability, such as poverty and inequality, and argues for the integration of early warning systems into broader development policy frameworks based on a human rights-based approach. Full document is available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/7429