Enhancing Early Warning Systems to build greater resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards in Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste is a Least Developed Country (LDC) and also one of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which is in the process of re-building its government systems and infrastructure after 25 years of conflict.  Climate change —manifested through rising mean temperature, warming and rising sea level, ocean acidification and deoxygenation, less predictable and more extreme rainfall, tropical cyclones, flooding, landslides and prolonged droughts—presents serious challenges to Timor-Leste’s development and risks to lives, livelihoods, health, biodiversity, food security, water supply and economic growth.  This project will help to transform Timor-Leste’s climate information capabilities and early warning systems – which are vital to the country’s response to climate change.

The country’s climate information services, early warning systems and disaster risk reduction mechanisms will be expanded and upgraded in a number of ways to enhance: disaster risk knowledge; detection, monitoring, analysis and forecasting of hazards and possible consequences; warning dissemination and communication; and preparedness and response capabilities. The project will complement the investments in infrastructure being made in project FP109, by providing high quality climate information and science-based advice on planning adaptation.