UNDRR, Green Climate Fund, the West African Development Bank and Early Warning for All Partners join hands to empower Togo to strengthen climate and disaster risk management

From 8 to 11 April 2025, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute (ONEA & GETI), in partnership with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), hosted a technical Training of Trainers workshop on "Tools for Implementing Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Information and Early Warning Systems Projects" with national stakeholders from Togo. The workshop, held in Incheon, Republic of Korea, was organized in support of the implementation of the recently approved GCF co-funded project, 'Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities within high climatic and disaster risk areas in Togo,' to help build capacity and technical knowledge of key governmental stakeholders to support the project's activities.

Throughout the training, representatives from Togo's key institutions involved in disaster risk reduction, climate information and early warning, including the National Agency for Civil Protection (ANPC), the Togolese Meteorological Agency (ANAMET), the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources (MERF), and other project partners including the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and the African Risk Capacity (ARC), joined sessions delivered by UNDRR, GCF, as well as international partners from CREWS, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UN Climate Technology Centre and Network (UNCTCN), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Core themes included disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation (CCA), multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) and anticipatory action, gender mainstreaming and diversity, equity and inclusion in DRR, project monitoring and evaluation, forecast-based finance, and climate investment planning. Participants explored global frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and discussed the design, coordination, and financing structure for the new GCF co-financed initiative in Togo.

In addition to in-depth sessions on GCF's project implementation, reporting, and results frameworks, the workshop introduced practical tools such as the Sendai Framework Monitor Custom Indicators and the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities, and its thematic annexes to support national and local level DRR planning. Technical partners presented available tools and collaborative approaches under the Early Warnings for All Initiative and shared examples from country-level implementation. Practical experience from the Republic of Korea was also shared through a presentation from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) on its integrated disaster management system and emergency communication tools, showcasing how the four pillars of early warning, including risk knowledge, monitoring and forecasting, dissemination and communication, and response capability, are implemented through advanced technologies and inter-agency coordination.

The final day of the workshop included a field visit to the Incheon Metropolitan City Safety Situation Division, a core facility within Korea's urban resilience infrastructure. Participants toured the division's integrated monitoring and control systems, including real-time CCTV surveillance, flood sensors, wildfire alert systems, and automated detection systems for identifying unusual events and alerting operators. City officials shared how Incheon leverages digital tools and interdepartmental coordination to ensure fast, reliable disaster alert delivery across sectors. The visit served as a practical demonstration of how smart governance and technology can strengthen resilience at the local level. Participants reflected on the field visit to the Incheon Metropolitan City Safety Situation Division, sharing valuable insights and inspirations drawn from the experience:

"The visit has given us a lot of inspiration for setting up our operations room (soon to be equipped) in coordination with the UNDRR. The Project will help to strengthen current data collection, processing and dissemination for early warning. We hope that one day we will also have an observation network similar to the one in Incheon." - Yoma Baka (Director General of ANPC)

"We have great enthusiasm for the tools that we observed during the visit to Incheon City Hall. This visit brought a very operational character to the workshop." - Komi Sossou (Environmentalist Expert in Climate Change and Sustainable Development of MERF & MERF Focal Point at the National Disaster Risk Management Platform)

The workshop concluded with reflections and action planning for the national implementation of the SAP048 project. Participants expressed their commitment to applying the lessons learned and strengthening coordination among national and international partners. The training served as an important milestone in Togo's progress toward scaling up climate resilience and ensuring that early warnings reach all vulnerable communities. The trained trainers are expected to support a training for national stakeholders in Togo in the coming months, as part of a number of project inception activities planned by BOAD in coordination with national and international partners.

"We now have more inspiration to better innovate in disaster management." - Sanetienone Damorou (National Focal Point of Project SAP048 'Strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities in high climate and disaster risk areas in Togo' of ANPC)

"Throughout the four days we had an opportunity to share experience and learn about disaster risk management. We learned a lot and we see that there is much be done in our country, and that the new project can greatly contribute to improving and implementing certain activities. We also heard from partners interested to support this project. It is important that we really work together." - Méwekiwé Egbare (Engineer in Agrometeorology of ANAMET & Head of the Weather Center of GMN)

"This training is important in terms of sharing experience and learning tools and getting a better idea of what technical partners can do. It's a training course for trainers, so it's essential that we can replicate it at home." - Aissatou Diagne (Climate Projects Supervision Specialist (DSPC) of BOAD)