Key goals
- Improving community-focused, integrated early warning systems and actions (EWSA) for drought to enhance decision-making and reduce drought impacts
Progress to date
- The project was approved by the Steering Committee on January 2026.
In the Pacific region, communities and ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to impacts of climate-related hazards, particularly drought. The vulnerability to drought in these countries is intensified by geographic isolation, limited water resources and infrastructure, and socioeconomic pressures. Droughts, while less visible than sudden-onset hazards like cyclones, have wide-ranging and long-lasting consequences for water security, food systems, public health, and livelihoods.
| Fragility/Conflict status: | 3 countries in institutional and social fragility (Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu) |
| Programme type: | Regional multi-year |
| Funding: | $5,650,000 |
| Duration: | 2026–2029 |
| Status: | Ongoing |
Building Inclusive Early Warning Systems through Women’s Leadership and Disability Access
Across the Pacific, the people most affected by drought include those in rural and remote areas, women, girls, children, youth, elderly people, persons with disabilities including persons with limited mobility, limited vision, limited hearing. The CREWS DREW Pacific Project is making sure no one is left behind. By working with the Pacific Disability Forum and national disaster agencies, the project is ensuring the integration of those most affected groups into design and implementation of early warning systems. At the same time, the project is supporting women’s participation in a regional Women in Leadership Workshop (WIL) to enhance gender-responsive leadership in climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk management (DRM). Through tailored activities, the project will strengthen the capacity of marginalized groups to be better prepared to respond to drought-related hazards.
