Frequently Asked Questions

General

1. Why was CREWS established?

CREWS was established to bridge the capacity gap for early warning services in the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

2. When was CREWS established?

CREWS was announced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, in Sendai, Japan, in 2015. It was launched by five countries: Australia, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands at the 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in Paris, France, later that year. Switzerland joined in December 2018 and the UK in 2019.

3. Who are the main CREWS partners and what does each partner bring to the CREWS projects?

The three main CREWS partners are the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations office for for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

The Implementing Partners of the CREWS initiative work cooperatively and complementary to each other, with each bringing a unique set of expertise and experience. Through this strong implementation process, and with the direct support of contributing partners to the CREWS Trust Fund, they are realizing significant results.

The World Bank

Through its Action Plan on Adaptation and Resilience, the World Bank Group has committed to substantially increase financing for quality forecasts, early warning systems and climate information services in at least 30 additional countries. In cooperation with WMO, the World Bank will launch the Alliance for Hydromet Development, in 2019, for development and climate finance partners to better support countries for the provision of high-quality weather, climate and hydrological data and services.

The World Meteorological Organization

The WMO Strategic Plan 2020-2023 puts strengthening Member capacity at centre stage and sets the long-term goal to close this capacity gap. Scaling up effective partnerships for investments in sustainable and cost-efficient infrastructure and service delivery is a strategic objective to achieve this goal. WMO is developing a new Country Support Initiative (CSI) for hydromet-related projects based on WMO requirements, standards and good practices. WMO’s engagement in CREWS projects will benefit from the CSI regarding the integration of country-level investments within WMO regional and global systems, and the integration of individual projects into broader country-led programmes to strengthen national hydromet capacity.

The Uinited Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

UNDRR developed the Sendai Monitor in 2018 as the tool to support countries to measure their progress against Sendai Targets, including Target G “Substantially

increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030.” UNISDR provides

technical guidance inter alia for minimum data standards and methodologies.

4. In what countries are CREWS projects being implemented?

CREWS projects are being implemented in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, Papa New Guinea and Togo. The country projects are complemented by 3 regional projects:

The Carribean region covers Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyan, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands.

The Pacific region covers Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue and Tuvalu, with some services extending to the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau and Vanuatu.

The West Africa region covers Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo,The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.