Strategies for business engagement in EWS4 Governments can play a major role in bringing more businesses into EWS. 4.1 Focus on providing businesses with clarity and incentives The costs of entering a technical industry like disaster resilience are high. Given the relatively rapid and recent expansion of the early warning ecosystem, the maturity of certain climate information and services markets is relatively low. Outside of the more established business lines providing equipment to NMHS, there is uncertainty about how markets will develop. In this context, steps to provide certainty or incentivize market participation could be effective. Companies in the survey highlighted both of these points. One approach is to invest in strong public-private partnerships (PPPs) that provide structured funding mechanisms through bilateral agreements, engagement in government-to-government cooperation and/or tied-aid soft financing. A data analytics company in the survey emphasized the importance of PPPs for the joint development of data storage and management. They noted that “public-private collaboration on the joint development of data management, storage and distribution solutions would enable significant cost savings for NMHS and reduce deployment time for EWS”. In some EWS markets, these partnerships are well developed. For example, a meteorological equipment manufacturer in the interview sample has effectively established bilateral, government-to- government cooperation with tied-aid soft financing in Asia and Africa. This clear structure promotes the company’s engagement in sustainable meteorological infrastructure and capacity-building projects, ensuring financial backing and government support for investments in EWS solutions. In other countries, however, governments may not be used to working with the private sector in this way. Another possible approach is to strengthen consultative processes or develop public-private expert communities. The WMO has succeeded in this approach by accepting private sector participation in its expert discussions under technical commissions and establishing the Open Consultative Platform – an open, multistakeholder dialogue platform. This feedback also comes from the interviewed companies. One mentioned that “mechanisms for sharing more information on where there is interest for private sector participation is key”. Another mentioned that workshops on flood forecasting and machine learning to develop technical capacity and showcase best practices are helpful. Another asked for the public-private consultations that happen in the Early Warnings for All initiative at the global level to also happen at the national level. They added that private companies should be invited to follow- up processes and initial dialogues. Finally, as countries build EWS capabilities, they should align policy with international standards. For example, adopting the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) can standardize the dissemination of early warnings across different media, ensuring consistency and accuracy. Such standardization across the EWS value chain makes it easier for businesses to participate and enhance national EWS capabilities. Outside of the more established business lines providing equipment to NMHS, there is uncertainty about how markets will develop.Strategy 1 Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems 15

Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems 2025