While evidence suggests that investing in multi- hazard EWS directly reduces the human toll of disasters, there is a large gap in coverage globally. The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and WMO’s 2022 report, Global Status of Early Warning Systems, highlighted that only half of all countries have EWS in place.12In March 2022, United Nations (UN) Secretary- General António Guterres announced the UN would spearhead new action to ensure every person on Earth is protected by EWS within five years. At the time, the UN estimated that filling this gap would require billions in investments.13 Though early warnings are developed through a collaborative ecosystem of many types of partners, EWS are often seen as governmental. While governments must remain the issuing authority for warnings, the private sector can create value within every other aspect of EWS.14,15 These opportunities are poorly understood outside the specialist companies that work closely with EWS. If done in a way that is appropriate and ensures continuity of services, expanding the number of involved companies and deepening their engagement could help close the EWS coverage gap. It is essential for business leaders and NMHS to recognize the need for a balance between innovation and stable service delivery. By working together with NMHS, private sector innovations can be more effectively integrated into established and mandated public services, supporting the long- term sustainability of EWS. Such partnership is vital to sustainably closing the global early warning coverage gap and protecting lives and economies from the growing impacts of climate change. This paper identifies ways to grow business participation in EWS, such that closing the coverage gap becomes a more manageable task. It starts by articulating a framework for businesses’ engagement in EWS. Then, relying on academic literature and a survey of 20 businesses conducted by the Forum and WMO, it describes the current contours of business action on EWS. Based on survey responses, follow-up interviews and further references, it then discusses drivers and barriers to business participation in early warning and closes with recommendations for increasing engagement.1.3 Closing this gap will require stronger engagement of private sector1.2 The EWS coverage gap While governments must remain the issuing authority for warnings, the private sector can create value within every other aspect of EWS. Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems 8

Catalysing Business Engagement in Early Warning Systems 2025