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Achieving impact with confidence while successfully navigating uncertainty is the theme for the CREWS Annual Report 2024. The report demonstrates the progress made by CREWS throughout 2024, and how we continue to build momentum in scaling up effective early warning and early action in LDCs and SIDS, despite an increasingly challenging national and global environment.
The highlights featured in this report show we can be increasingly confident in CREWS’ impact, in our use of learning, in the strength and depth of our partnerships and in our value offer in a rapidly evolving and uncertain context. This is clearly shown by the actions CREWS has taken – at the programme and portfolio levels – to ensure CREWS outcomes directly contribute to the achievement of the UN Secretary General’s goal of universal coverage of early warning systems by 2027 through Early Warnings for All (EW4All), to the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Out of the 19 active CREWS programmes in 2024, three entered their final phase and their results are showcased in this report. However, responding to demand and thanks to the support of our 12 donor country Members, the CREWS portfolio continues to grow. In 2024, the CREWS Steering Committee approved more than USD 21 million in new financing decisions across two new country programmes, a new phase to the regional programme in the Caribbean and the EW4All Accelerator programme with global outputs and targets for seven focus countries at the national level.
This report also draws into focus the delivery of CREWS’ core values, illustrated by numerous examples of best practice developed within our programmes. Importantly, this includes the ways in which CREWS has transitioned from a gender-informed approach to one that is gender-responsive and how this supports CREWS’ unwavering pledge to put people – especially the most vulnerable – at the heart of all we do.
This report also demonstrates CREWS’ commitment to provide and enable solutions tailored to meet countries’ needs, and that are also scalable, innovative and leverage further financing. A range of quantitative and qualitative data in this report shows CREWS interventions being leveraged by other projects, for example in West Africa where the impact of capital investment from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is maximised as a result of technical support for implementation and operation supplied by CREWS. There is also evidence of how the new GCF Simplified Approval Process (SAP)-CREWS Scaling Up Framework is enabling countries to scale up success from their CREWS programmes. Togo is leading the way with their proposal presented to the GCF board in early 2025, with several other countries following suit. CREWS is also scaling through digital approaches, with tools such as ClimWeb, being rolled out across numerous National Meteorological Services in Africa with CREWS support.
I am delighted that this year saw agreement to expand CREWS’ expertise and services available to LDCs and SIDS through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) joining CREWS as full Implementing Partners.
This report celebrates CREWS’ achievements of the last year and gives us good reason to look forward with confidence, including our new strategy, under development, that will set our strategic direction to 2030. However, we recognise that we are operating in uncertain times – both in terms of the increasing frequency and impact of disasters as a result of a changing climate and increasing vulnerability, and the global shifts that are taking place, especially in terms of international financing. With the continued commitment of our Members, our implementing and operational partners, and with a growing demand for CREWS from countries and the communities they serve, we look forward – with confidence – to reporting further successes in the coming years.
Gerard Howe
Head, Climate Resilience Department, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK
Chair, CREWS Steering Committee
