In a landmark call to action, United Nations Secretary-General has urged that every individual on the planet be safeguarded by early warning systems within five years. This ambitious goal aligns with Target G of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, prioritizing support for the most vulnerable populations. To turn this vision into reality, the “Executive Action Plan for the Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4ALL)” was introduced during the COP27 climate change conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.

An early warning system (EWS) is defined as “an integrated system of hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, disaster risk assessment, communication, and preparedness activities, systems, and processes that enable individuals, communities, governments, businesses, and other entities to take timely action to reduce disaster risks ahead of hazardous events.” The essence of an early warning system lies in its ability to trigger early action, making timely responses crucial to mitigating disaster impacts.

Expanding on this, a multi-hazard early warning system (MHEWS) is designed to address various hazards and their potential impacts, whether they occur individually, simultaneously, cascading, or cumulatively over time. It also considers the interrelated effects of such events. An MHEWS that can issue warnings for multiple hazards enhances the effectiveness and consistency of warnings through coordinated and compatible mechanisms and capacities. This approach necessitates the involvement of multiple disciplines to ensure up-to-date and precise hazard identification and monitoring.

The UN Secretary-General launched the Early Warnings for All initiative (EW4All) in 2022 with the ambitious aim to create a world where every person, everywhere in the world has access to a life-saving early warning system (EWS).  At COP27, an Executive Action Plan (EAP) was presented to guide the implementation of the initiative, underscoring the importance of partnerships, coordination and inclusive multistakeholder engagement as critical enablers to bridge current gaps in achieving universal end-to-end EWS coverage. It is particularly important to ensure the inclusion of groups such as women, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities and ethnic minorities, youth and local communities. Making sure that the voices are heard from these and other often marginalized groups in the planning and decision-making processes is key to ensuring inclusive and participatory early warning systems so that these systems can effectively influence early action to save lives, livelihoods and assets.

This involves collaborating with local stakeholders to collect and analyze relevant information, ensuring that project proposals and programming are data-driven and aligned with both local / national needs and regional and international opportunities, case studies and good practices.

Through these efforts, we aim to secure the necessary financial support to implement the plan’s activities, ultimately enhancing countries’ abilities to predict, prepare for, and respond to multi-hazard events effectively. This will significantly contribute to the broader goal of protecting communities and people, particularly the most vulnerable, and building resilient communities in line with the EW4ALL Initiative and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Programme Management Officer for the EW4ALL, based in Panama the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

· Support mapping of ongoing projects and initiatives and in identifying other potential donors and development partners interested in strengthening inclusive disaster risk reduction and multi-hazard early warning systems.

· Assist in the preparation and delivery of presentations to showcase the importance and impact of strengthening participatory and inclusive multisectoral MHEWS.

· Contribute to comprehensive concept notes that summarize objectives, activities, and expected outcomes with regards to inclusive and participatory early warning systems and early action.

· Assist in developing detailed project proposals that include background information, problem statements, methodologies, budget estimates, and impact assessments.

Contribute to strengthening and showcasing differentiated risk knowledge from local perspectives.

• Support the process for contributions and inputs to the EW4All Americas and the Caribbean regional multi-stakeholder forum (MSF) and global MSF.
• Support the application of the Inclusive Early Warning and Early Action Checklist as well as Making Cities Resilient Addendums on MHEWS, Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and Gender, and consolidate findings.
• Support national reporting on Sendai target G relating to early warning systems and national reporting on disaggregated data.

-Support the compiling of lessons learned and good practices on the application of EW4All roll out.

· Support the collection and analysis of relevant climate and disaster risk data and existing early warning capacities.

· Coordinate with partners for compiling data and information into accessible formats to be included in communications, documents and presentations.

· Provide support to training sessions for local and national counterparts and stakeholders on the potential applications of MHEWS.

Accountability

Adaptability and flexibility

Communication

Creativity

Empower others

Judgement and decision-making

Planning and organising

Professionalism

Self-management

conducting research and analysis on environmental sustainability, especially those related to disaster risk reduction and community resilience.

• Familiarity with climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
• Experience in developing or implementing projects related to climate resilience.
• Experience in writing and developing concept notes and project proposals for donor funding.
• Skills in data collection and analysis to support project proposals.
• Knowledge of donor requirements and priorities in the fields of environmental science, climate change, and sustainable development.

Thematic Areas:

· Mutli-Hazard Early Warning Systems

· Sustainable Development

· Climate Change Adaptation

· Disaster Risk Reduction

Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volun-teer work, internship) would be highly regarded.

Panama City is classified ‘A’ Duty Station (Family) and has good infrastructure (health, housing, banking, transportation, telecommunications and recreational facilities) and good supply of goods and services, with no particular health hazards. In terms of security Panama is relatively safe compared to other cities throughout Latin America and it is rated as security level ‘1 minimal’ whereas for Darién Province (border with Colombia) it is security level ‘2 low’. The city is a communication hub and it is possible to fly to all countries of the region with direct flights and it offers good options for travelling in general. UNDRR-LAC offices are located in the Canal Zone, in a green area outside the city centre called City of Knowledge where most of the other UN Agencies are also located, as well as International Schools, NGOs and research centres, etc. The cost of living is relatively high for the region (reflected in the post adjustment), especially for housing and health, but it is easy to find accommodation on the private market, including in the area of the office in houses or in the city centre towers in modern apartments. Most of the food is imported except for sea products and some fruits and vegetables. There is a wide range of international schools, several of them offering IBcurriculum including some in the office area. In terms of recreational activities, Panama being a hub for the purchasing of goods for neigh-bouring countries, the city offers a lot of malls and doing shopping and going to malls is a common week end activity. Cultural offer is limited but there is a good offer of restaurants and a dynamic nightlife. Beaches on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts are reachable within one hour by car or by boat directly from the city and there are some options for hiking too. There is also a relatively good range of sports activities. For the everyday life it is recommended to have Spanish knowledge as English is not widely spoken in the shops and services. The government offers the possibility for UN spouses to get work permits and provides UN staff members with tax exemption cards for shops and restaurants. Just like other fast growing cities, the traffic is heavy at peak hours and considered an issue for people living in Panama City. The climate is hot and humid with a rainy season lasting 8 months a year