**2. CREWS-PNG**

*Drought - Detection and Solutions*

experiencing food shortages [7].

reduction and sustainable development.

project's preliminary results are presented.

hazards alone, through 1215 disaster events" [2].

cost the Asia-Pacific region \$160 billion per year by 2030 [4].

to the "Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2012" prepared by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction: "almost 2 million people were killed in disasters between 1970 and 2011, representing 75% of all disaster fatalities globally; the most frequent hazards in the region are hydro-meteorological, which affect the most people; since 2000, more than 1.2 billion people have been exposed to hydro-meteorological

Economic losses in Asia and the Pacific in 1970–2016 attributed to disasters including droughts, floods, storms, earthquakes and tsunamis total to about \$1.3 trillion [3]. Economic losses have been rising over the past decades, and it is projected that losses will continue to increase. UN assessment indicates that increase in frequency and magnitude of disasters combined with the increased vulnerability of society could

The Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems international initiative was established in 2015 [8] to enhance early warning systems (EWSs) for vulnerable countries dealing with climate change. CREWS presently operates in countries in Africa, the Pacific and the Caribbean, providing EWS to protect the most vulnerable populations against hydrometeorological hazards like tropical cyclones, droughts and floods [9]. In most of those countries, meteorological observation networks are currently barely adequate, and EWS are basic. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), working in partnership with the national governments and hydrometeorological agencies of LDCs and SIDS through the projects of the CREWS initiative, strives to improve decision-making around climate change adaptation, disaster risk

In Africa—in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—CREWS supports the improvement of operational hydrometeorological forecasts and early warnings for agriculture and food security related to flood and drought risks. In the Caribbean, CREWS assists countries in the region to strengthen regional and national systems and capacity related to weather forecasting, hydrological services, multi-hazard impact-based warnings and service delivery, including tropical cyclones, for enhanced decision-making. In the Pacific—in Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Tuvalu, the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Palau, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Tokelau and Vanuatu—CREWS projects strengthen the capacity of SIDS in hydrometeorological services and EWS. In Papua New Guinea, CREWS improves the existing drought monitoring network, as well as early warnings for the agriculture sector and emer-

In this chapter, the CREWS project for PNG and its implementation strategy are described; synergies with the International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, the PNG Capacity Development Program and the Space-Based Weather and Climate Extremes Monitoring Demonstration Project (SEMDP) are outlined; and the

Developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to impact of climate change and climate extremes, including drought, which could lead to water crisis or severe food shortage. For example, a prolonged drought episode related to the strong 2010–2011 La Niña event affected multiple SIDS in the Pacific, including Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu. The impact of the drought was particularly severe in Tuvalu resulting in water crisis [5]. The Government of Tuvalu declared a state of emergency due to critically low water supplies, and households were rationed to about 40 L of freshwater per family per day [6]. In Papua New Guinea, severe drought caused by strong El Niño event in 2015–2016 affected about 40% of the population, with almost half a million people

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gency service managers.

The CREWS-PNG project develops improved drought monitoring and subseasonal-to-seasonal prediction that can foster better decision-making for agriculture, water management and other climate-sensitive sectors by creating an end-to-end EWS aimed at reducing the impacts of drought. In this section, a brief overview of climate impacts on PNG climate-sensitive sectors is presented, providing the rational for CREWS-PNG project and its implementation strategy.
