Looking Ahead

A decade of delivery sets strong foundations for the future

Consolidating on a decade of delivery

Reflecting on a year – and a decade – of delivery, the eyes of CREWS are set to the future, anchored by a new strategy, with both an operational plan and a resource mobilisation plan to be reviewed and approved in 2026. These strategic documents represent a consolidation of what has been achieved so far – while the strategy is new, there is no change in direction, dilution of commitment or deviation from CREWS’ core values of being unique, people-centred, innovative and solution-oriented and gender-responsive whilst promoting coherence and acting as a multiplier by leveraging complementary funding mechanisms. Nonetheless, CREWS will continue to learn – and share – from its experience of delivering projects in challenging contexts, evolving and adapting its approach to improving early warning systems and climate resilience in the world’s most vulnerable locations. CREWS also remains humble, recognizing the vast number of people involved in delivering its impactful work and thankful of the power of connection with – and between – all of the communities, countries and delivery partners involved, whilst remaining ever grateful to the ongoing support of its Contributing Members who provide the funds to realise its project and programmatic plans.

Catalysing future investment

A central theme in this report has been the role of CREWS as a catalyst. This is evident within each project, with CREWS supporting essential foundational work, such as the development of national strategic plans and the co-design of new weather and climate products. CREWS has also supported many countries to progress plans to implement EW4All, providing financial and technical support for convening national stakeholders, carrying out technical capacity diagnostics and user needs assessments, and validating EW4All Roadmaps. However, CREWS’ catalytic role is perhaps most evident – and most significant – in how it is mobilizing climate finance to deliver country-led early warning programmes. This came to the fore in 2025 with the Board of the Green Climate Fund approving two project proposals which took advantage of the GCF-CREWS scaling-up framework – one from Togo and one from Belize and Trinidad and Tobago. Responding to the recommendations of two recent evaluations, the mobilization of GCF funding to expand and extend the foundational work of CREWS is but the first step of an ongoing collaboration.¹ Together, the Green Climate Fund and CREWS are actively exploring other financing pathways. This has all been made possible by CREWS’ multi-dimensional de-risking strategy – a combination of technical, institutional and financial de-risking – which prepares the ground for large-scale climate investment. Looking ahead, CREWS is in active discussion with other funders about the possibility of replicating this approach.

Initiating new projects and new opportunities

With the possibility of CREWS projects opening a door for larger investment in the future, there is high demand for CREWS support. In 2025, the CREWS portfolio grew, with new multi-year projects initiating in South Asia (to be reported in next year’s report) and two existing projects entering a new phase. In Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the successes of a first project – featured in this Annual Report – form the foundation for a second phase of work. Meanwhile in the Pacific, CREWS Pacific SIDS is entering a third phase through the project Strengthening Inclusive Early Warning Systems Across Pacific SIDS. Crucially, these regional projects strengthen regional institutions as well encourage peer-to-peer support, both resulting in the benefits extending beyond the focal countries to improve outcomes across all countries and territories in the wider region. By leveraging existing regional expertise, systems and infrastructure, these projects also serve to reduce the overall risk profile of the CREWS portfolio.

Setting countries on a pathway to investment

In 2025, the number of short-term interventions also increased, with 16 Accelerated Support Window actions active in 2025. For the first time, interventions extended beyond single country applications with one regional action (in the Caribbean) and one operating at the continental scale, led by the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD). In addition to developing a collaboration framework between ACMAD, the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology and WMO, a select number of countries are receiving technical support including institutional strengthening and digital transformation.

A strong foundation for the future

At the end of 2025, strong foundations are set for the future. Already on the horizon is the accreditation of the International Telecommunications Union and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – when complete, this means that all four EW4All Pillar Leads will be CREWS Implementing Partners. There are also new projects initiating at the start of 2026 – including the Drought Resilience and Early Warning (DREW) project in the Pacific – and several new Accelerated Support Window actions. In addition, there are strong pipelines of countries, seeking support either from CREWS or from the Green Climate Fund, with 12 countries actively developing GCF proposals that will build upon the successes of multi-year CREWS projects. The case for replication has been made and the need is strong with CREWS experiencing high demand for its support. In a world defined by increasing climate uncertainty, the ability to scale up is no longer a luxury – it is an absolute necessity.

1. In 2025, two evaluations were undertaken for the Green Climate Fund. The first focusing on its Climate Information and Early Warning Systems portfolio and the second focusing on its Simplified Approval Process.