Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,
It is an honor to join you today for a critical conversation.
For landlocked developing countries, the stakes around disaster resilience and climate action are unambiguous.
These countries, though diverse in geography and development context, face common constraints.
Limited access to global markets, high exposure to climate shocks, and in many cases, insufficient digital infrastructure to respond effectively to disasters. Emergency telecommunications play a critical role in disaster risk reduction and management.
That is why the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All initiative is so vital,
ITU leads Pillar 3 on warning dissemination and communication.
We are carrying out gap analyses and capacity building activities, including EW4All country roadmap validation, and trainings on Common Alerting Protocol and Cell Broadcast.
We are also supporting Member States, in disaster management through the design of national emergency telecommunications plans, in setting up of early warning and monitoring systems, and providing emergency telecommunications equipment when disasters strike.
Over the past two years, we have intensified support to LLDCs through tailored assistance.
In Uganda, South Sudan, Niger, Nepal, Tajikistan, and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, we have helped carry out early warning gap assessments, provided training on the Common Alerting Protocol and cell broadcast technologies.
These tools allow authorities to issue real-time, location-based alerts even where mobile coverage is weak or infrastructure has been damaged.
In Malawi during Cyclone Freddy in 2023 ITU provided satellite phones and emergency telecom terminals to restore essential communication links within hours of the disaster allowing emergency teams to coordinate rapid relief across remote, flood-affected zones.
We also recognize the importance of resilient digital development.
In the SADC region, ITU has supported the development of a model National Emergency Telecommunication Plan, and we are helping its adaptation in individual countries.
The ITU Emergency Telecommunication Baseline Assessments covered over 100 countries, and to date, we have supported the development of the National Emergency Telecommunication Plans for 41 countries globally, a number being LLDCs.
These plans are not just blueprints for disaster response but are investments in long-term disaster preparedness.
Resilience must also include the responsible management of e-waste. In Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Paraguay, and multiple African LLDCs we are supporting governments to establish policy frameworks and systems for e-waste data collection ensuring that digital expansion does not come at the cost of environmental degradation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
There is a challenging road ahead of us. Climate extremes are intensifying, and we must intensify our efforts to ensure early warnings are accessible, universal, and future proof.
That’s why the ITU will keep pushing boundaries whether technological, institutional, policy and regulatory, or building capacity, until the promise of early warnings for all becomes a reality for every landlocked developing country.
Thank you.
