Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan has, for the first time, adopted a national standard establishing unified technical requirements for early warning and public information systems for threats and emergencies, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) press office in Tashkent.

The document will serve as an important tool for improving the civil protection system and strengthening the country’s resilience to natural disasters.

According to UNDP, rapid climate changes are increasing the frequency and scale of emergencies. Experience in managing their consequences shows that timely public warning significantly reduces losses and saves lives.

In this context, modernizing the Comprehensive Early Warning System (CEWS) for potential disasters is considered a priority task to ensure sustainable development in the country.

Reliable operation of the CEWS requires all technical equipment and warning systems to comply with state standards. Within the modernization framework, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, with UNDP support and funding from the Green Climate Fund, developed the national standard O‘zMSt 520:2025, titled “Civil Protection. Population Warning and Information System for Threats or Emergencies. General Technical Requirements.”

The new standard sets unified requirements for warning equipment, classifies it, and defines rules for its use in both existing and new systems. These requirements will be considered during equipment testing and quality control, improving the effectiveness and reliability of the CEWS.

The introduction of the standard has strategic significance: it creates a single platform for equipment manufacturers and suppliers, minimizes the risk of system incompatibility, optimizes integration, reduces operating and maintenance costs through technology standardization, and accelerates CEWS modernization and the nationwide implementation of new solutions.

The project “Enhancing the Comprehensive Early Warning System to Strengthen the Resilience of Uzbek Communities to Climate-Related Natural Hazards” is being implemented jointly by UNDP, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and UzHydromet, with funding from the Green Climate Fund.

The project focuses on modernizing the early warning system with particular emphasis on floods, mudflows, landslides, avalanches, and hydrological droughts in densely populated and economically significant mountainous regions of the country.