Damascus, Sept. 15 (SANA)Syriahas launched a workshop to assess gaps in its multi-sectoral national early warning system as part of efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and reduce risks.

The workshop, organized by theMinistry of Emergency and Disaster ManagementinDamascus, brought together representatives from several ministries and international organizations involved in disaster risk reduction.

The two-day event aims to review the current state of early warning systems in Syria, evaluate progress in implementing the “Early Warnings for All” initiative, contribute to the development of a national roadmap and identify measures to address key challenges in line with national development priorities.

Shifting from disaster response to risk prevention

Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh said Syria’s approach focuses on gradually moving from responding to disasters after they occur toward managing risks before they develop into emergencies.

“Our vision is to build an integrated national system centered on people and covering the entire early warning chain, from understanding risks to preparedness and response,” al-Saleh said during the workshop.

He said Syria had taken important steps to rebuild and develop national capacities in early warning systems, but significant challenges remain, including gaps in data collection and sharing, monitoring and forecasting networks, communications, public access to warnings, preparedness, governance and coordination among institutions.

The minister also highlighted the need for sustained investment in infrastructure, human resources and technology to improve the country’s ability to anticipate and respond to potential disasters.

Technology and data key to modern warning systems

Al-Saleh said Syria has an opportunity to develop a modern early warning system by drawing on technology, data, and national and international expertise.

“The success of such a system is not measured by the number of monitoring devices, platforms or warnings, but by the number of lives it protects, the losses it prevents and the time it gives people and institutions to act before danger occurs,” he said.