Opening Remarks at CREWS 2.0 Cambodia and Lao PDR Project Launch

Director-General Vilasak Chundara, Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment

Director-General Vongkham Phanthanouvong, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare 

Representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and other line ministries

Members of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Technical Working Group

Colleagues from WMO, UNDRR and the World Bank; UN agencies, NGOs and CSOs

Media representatives; distinguished participants:

I start by congratulating the Government of Lao PDR, especially the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, and the Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, with our CREWS partners – WMO, UNDRR and the World Bank, on bringing us together to this important event. 

Today we launch CREWS Cambodia and Lao PDR 2.0, a four-year programme (2025–2029) led by WMO, with the World Bank and UNDRR, in close collaboration with national stakeholders, to strengthen multihazard early warning and early action systems.

This launch comes at a pivotal time. For Lao PDR, in particular, as the country is highly exposed to floods, droughts, storms and landslides, with increasingly erratic rainfall and extreme temperatures exacerbating the situation. 

From 2000 to 2025, disasters affected over six million people and caused about USD 1 billion in direct losses. In 2025 alone, severe monsoon events impacted more than 360,000 people. Behind each figure are families affected, livelihoods lost and local economies shattered. All of them need reliable information and the capacity to act before a hazard becomes a disaster.

Over the past years, Lao PDR has taken significant steps to strengthen resilience to disasters. The Government adopted a National Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Roadmap 2024–2027 in August 2024, and established EW4All technical working group to coordinate and support the roadmap implementation. 

As of today, we have jointly mobilized 25% of the estimated USD 28 million required to implement the EW4All Roadmap. Very evidently, a substantial gap remains. 

It is in this context that we warmly welcome CREWS 2.0 as a timely investment that both builds on Phase 1 achievements, and targets the remaining bottlenecks – ranging from risk knowledge and impact-based forecasting, to inclusive communication and preparedness.

Looking ahead, I would like to highlight four priorities where CREWS 2.0 can catalyze system-wide change, and where the UN Country Team stands ready to engage, alongside government and other partners:

1. First, impact-based forecasting on a scale: Turning forecasts into actionable, location-specific communications, co-produced with sectors and communities, people and decision-makers on the ground know what’s about to happen, where, to whom, and what to do.
2. Second, sustainable observation and data systems: It is critical to secure operations and maintenance of hydromet networks; standardize open, routine data-sharing across agencies; and align national standards with regional and global platforms.
3. Third, inclusive, last-mile warning and early action: This entails expanding multi-channel dissemination, using Common Alerting Protocol and accessible formats, and strengthening community mechanisms, so ethno-linguistic groups, persons with disabilities, children and remote communities receive alerts in time to act.
4. And fourth, preparedness enhancing action: This requires integrating contingency plans with anticipatory actions and clear triggers, and institutionalizing drills so early warnings reliably translate into early action.

These priorities are fully consistent with the objectives of CREWS 2.0 and with the EW4All roadmap of Lao PDR. They also align with national strategies on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, including national adaptation plan.

Today’s agenda reflects lessons from the first phase of CREWS, presents the scope and arrangements for CREWS 2.0, and sets out the EW4All coordination architecture. These elements offer a platform for us to build upon to solidify ownership and accountability for results.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends:

Our collective aim is clear: to protect every person in Lao PDR through an inclusive, end-to-end, multihazard early warning/action system. 

To achieve it, we must close the financing gap, deepen technical cooperation, and keep a persistent focus on people, particularly those most at risk.

On behalf of the United Nations in Lao PDR, I reaffirm our commitment to support the Government of Lao PDR to deliver on this ambition.

Directors-General of Meteorology and Hydrology, and of Social Welfare:

Thank you for your leadership, cooperation and resolve to safeguard people all across Lao PDR. 

I wish the CREWS 2.0 initiative every success, and look forward to working together to deliver much needed results.

Thank you – kho khob chai.