About the Conference
The 4th RIMES Ministerial Conference will build upon the outcomes of the first three conferences to further advance RIMES’ collaborative regional strategies. This conference aims to achieve the objectives of the Early Warning for All initiatives by addressing gaps across the entire weather and climate information value chain—both upstream and downstream, for promoting evidence-based decision- making for Risk and Resource Management Purposes.
RIMES Ministerial Conferences
First Ministerial Conference
Laid the foundation for establishing country-led financial mechanisms through sustained annual contributions, enabling RIMES to support member countries.
Second Ministerial Conference
Focused on national-level advocacy for integrating RIMES into development partner-supported funding facilities for project implementation.
Third Ministerial Conference
Endorsed the process of establishment of national institutional mechanisms to enhance data sharing and co-production of early warning and climate information services by harnessing advanced data analytics technology-driven decision support systems (DSS) to translate forecast data into actionable information.
Fourth Ministerial Conference
Centered on the theme “Actionable Climate Services and Early Warnings for All”, targets the formalization of RIMES’ future directions
The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES)
The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES), 16 years after its establishment on April 2009, hosts 62 Member Countries (i.e. 22 Member States and 40 Collaborating Countries. From its three Member States at inception, RIMES’ growth is a testament to the salience and uniqueness of the services it provides to its Member and Collaborating States.
RIMES is a critical integrating engine between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs)/National Tsunami Warning Centers (NTWS)/National Earthquake Centers (NECs), and sectoral institutions at various levels, and communities to bring forth and constantly evolve user-driven multi-hazard early warning information that takes advantage of the best of science and technology.
RIMES anchors its services on the five distinct, but inter-connected, pillars of the climate services/early warning information value chain as illustrated and detailed below.
Climate/Early Warning information Value Chain
PILLAR 1: Enhancing Data Availability and Accessibility
RIMES employs a two-pronged approach to maximize data availability for its Member States and Collaborating Countries: i) facilitating the establishment and upgrading of observation stations; and ii) development and upkeep of global and regional digital platforms for multi-hazard observation data sharing across countries.
RIMES makes quality-checked observation data accessible to its Member and Collaborating States. Non-Global Telecommunication System (GTS) data exchange among participating National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) is facilitated through the Data Exchange (DataEx) platform—a digital hub for sharing, curating, archiving, and visualizing observation data. Additionally, weather and climate observation data are shared with the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the Indian National Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) to enhance forecasting models.
For geohazards, RIMES integrates real-time earthquake and water level observation data from its established seismic and sea level monitoring stations, along with real-time observation data from regional and global centers, to improve the estimation/validation of earthquake and tsunami events.
PILLAR 2: Modelling and Forecasting
RIMES leverages weather and climate forecast data from ECMWF, NCMRWF, and other global and regional centers to generate customized downscaled and value-added forecasts tailored to each country’s needs. Moreover, RIMES strengthens NMHSs’ capacity through training, enabling them to tailor, downscale, and enhance forecast data for local contexts.
To enhance collaborative engagements among NMHSs in improving weather and climate forecast accuracy/customization, RIMES facilitates/provides technical support to the South Asian Climate Outcook Forum (SASCOF), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Climate Outlook Forum (ASEANCOF)5, and the South Asia Hydromet Forum (SAHF). SAHF has also established the Weekly Forecasters’ Forum, to facilitate collective expertise, knowledge, insights and experience sharing, and forecast refinement among operational meteorologists.
RIMES provides 24/7 earthquake monitoring and tsunami early warning advisories for reference of NECs and NTWSs, upon receipt of country demands.
PILLAR 3: Translating Data into Actionable Information
RIMES established the National Seasonal/Monsoon/Climate Forums as a first-generation platform for co-production of early warning informed decision guidance products between NMHSs and sectoral institutions, including agriculture, water resources, disaster risk management, etc. To formalize these efforts, RIMES facilitates the transformation of these forums into national institutional mechanisms through Memoranda of Agreement/Understanding (MoAs/MoUs) for data sharing and the co-production of Decision Support Systems (DSSs).
The IMD-RIMES Unit (IRU) for impact forecasting in India, the Sri Lanka National Center for Climate Application (SNCCA), and the Bangladesh National Center for Climate Application (BANCCA) are in operation. RIMES continues to engage with countries to establish formal institutional frameworks for Impact-Based Forecasting and Climate Services, aligning with the RIMES Master Plan. Earthquake and tsunami preparedness are incorporated into these forums to promote a sustainable, multi-hazard approach.
RIMES collaborates with NMHSs, NTWCs, NECs, and sectoral institutions to co-develop and operationalize user-driven digital Decision Support Systems (DSSs) for Impact-Based Forecasting and Climate Services. These DSSs support key sectors such as disaster risk management, agriculture, water resources, health, livestock, planning, and transport. These digital systems translate different timescales of weather/climate data into actionable information for sector-specific decision-making. DSS information products/outputs are further tailored to meet diverse user needs, effectively communicate uncertainties, and efficiently deliver decision-guidance information to institutions and communities, enabling informed actions.
PILLAR 4: Societal Engagements and Feedback
RIMES facilitates mechanisms for strengthening local institutions and communities by providing actionable risk information and fostering two-way interaction to enhance resilience. RIMES adopts a unified, user-centric approach, enhancing national institutional frameworks for disaster risk reduction, emergency response, and reporting while ensuring effective last-mile communication and feedback mechanisms.
RIMES supports national climate service frameworks and provides feedback to authorities in identifying and addressing gaps in the early warning information chain through capacity-building on end-to-end early warning at all levels. RIMES links vulnerable groups to available institutional resources and services for adaptive response to enhance resilience and preparedness.
To promote timely and effective decision making, RIMES customizes the DSSs and conducts community-level demonstrations, enabling forecast-based actions. RIMES strengthens capacities at all levels—equipping early warning agencies to generate tailored forecast products and services while empoering end users to effectively receive, interpret, and act on warnings through improved dissemination of impact forecasts and risk management advisories of various timescales.
Institutional and community engagements also serve as vital feedback platforms for evaluating decision guidance products based on user experience. To address evolving societal needs, RIMES adopts a user-centered, bottom-up approach, ensuring that user demands shape the entire climate and weather service co-production process. By working closely with both service providers and end-users, RIMES fosters an environment that supports the sustainable delivery and integration of advanced early warning and climate products tailored to societal requirements.
PILLAR 5: Research and Development
RIMES drives research and development to advance cutting-edge technologies and build capacity in innovative tools and techniques. Its research agenda prioritizes cost-effective solutions that improve accuracy, enhance value addition, facilitate last-mile communication of advisories, and ensure timely and effective responses.
In collaboration with national stakeholder institutions, RIMES continuously refines and upgrades processes and products across Pillars 1 to 4. This includes applied research for development of high-resolution climate and weather models and integration of DRM, DRR, and CCA into climate services and early warning information delivery, and demand-driven solutions such as custom applications, toolkits, manuals, and SOPs for effective risk response implementation.
Current Programs and Future Outlook
RIMES has incrementally developed its Regional Multi-hazard, Multi-scale, and Multi-purpose Early Warning Center with valuable contributions from the Government of India, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO)/Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, and other humanitarian and development partners. This RIMES Regional Early Warning Center underpins the following:
Economies of Scale
Countries with limited resources, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and other developing nations, optimize economies of scale by sharing resources, expertise, and infrastructure. The RIMES Regional Early Warning Center facilitates efficient and cost-effective collaboration, allowing countries with varying capacities to both benefit from and contribute to the system.
Advanced Technologies
Many SIDS/LDCS/LLDCS and other developing countries struggle to keep up with rapidly evolving technological advancements and fully leverage their benefits. The RIMES Early Warning Center bridges this gap by providing advanced data and analytics services through its Regional Data Center, enabling participating countries to access data, tools, and systems to tailor and deliver specialized services and products, such as sector-specific and location-specific digital impact forecasting and climate service tools, at minimal additional cost.
Connectivity of all the Components of the Climate/Early Warning Information Value Chain
Development partners often invest in only select aspects of the climate services and early warning value chain. RIMES bridges these gaps by integrating investments across scientific and technical capacity building such as data accessibility, modeling, and forecasting, and the transformation of data into tailored early warning information. This enhances user sector capacities with minimal additional investment.
Delivery of Common but Differentiated Services
RIMES provides a range of services customized to meet the diverse needs and capacities of countries at various stages of development.
Sustained Backup Support
Ensuring the sustainability of climate services and early warning systems in resource-constrained countries requires ongoing support in specialized areas like data generation and analysis, software/digital tools enhancements, model refinement, new/advanced technology integration, and human resources capacity enhancement through co-development of systems/information products. RIMES provides this sustained backup support to maximize the benefits of development interventions in these sectors.
Intergovernmental Mandate and Ownership
The RIMES Council, consisting of Heads of NMHSs, is accountable to RIMES Member Countries and Stakeholders, ensuring collaborative efforts that address the varied needs of Member and Collaborating States. Feedback from national stakeholders and user sector institutions informs the operational decisions of NMHS heads, guiding the direction of the RIMES Early Warning Center.
RIMES’ key programs, including the World Bank-supported CARE for South Asia Component 1 and the South Asia Hydromet Forum (SAHF), strengthen climate services and early warning systems. The WMO formalized collaboration with RIMES through the Joint Strategy Action Plan (JSAP) to enhance NMHS capacities and maximize socio-economic benefits.
As demand grows to expand CARE and SAHF in South Asia and replicate best practices across Africa, Southwest Indian Ocean, Middle East, Central/Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, JSAP provides a conducive framework. The 2025–2030 period presents a crucial opportunity for RIMES Member States and Collaborating Countries, which, despite varying capacities, face shared challenges from increasingly frequent extreme events. Growing variability in natural hazards, heightened vulnerabilities, emerging best practices, and rapid technological advancements underscore the urgent need for strengthened cross-national collaboration, with the RIMES Regional Early Warning Center playing a pivotal role in fostering cooperation and resilience.
The RIMES Triple M Early Warning Center—multi-hazard, multi-timescale, and multi-purpose—delivers three key benefits (Triple Dividend): reducing losses from extreme events, optimizing resources for development, and enhancing resilience. These principles underpin the RIMES Master Plan 2026–2030, which will be formalized at the 4th Ministers Conference to align with JSAP and further support RIMES Member Countries.
