IOC‑UNESCO convened a virtual briefing to launch Phase 3 of the UNESCAP‑funded project, “Strengthening Tsunami Early Warning in the Northwest Indian Ocean through Regional Cooperation.” The session brought together Member States, UNESCO field offices, ESCAP representatives, national tsunami warning centres, disaster management authorities, and technical experts to outline the next phase of implementation and reflect on achievements to date.

Speakers from the IOC‑UNESCO Secretariat, ESCAP, the Regional Working Group for the Northwest Indian Ocean (RWG‑NWIO), and the IOTWMS Chair highlighted the strong progress made under earlier phases. Since 2019, the project has advanced understanding of Makran tsunami hazards, strengthened national tsunami warning chains, and significantly improved tsunami inundation and evacuation mapping capabilities across participating countries. These outputs have already supported recent Indian Ocean tsunami exercises and informed national preparedness planning.

Phase 3 Implementation

Phase 3 has now been formally approved by ESCAP. This phase shifts focus from hazard and modelling foundations to community‑level tsunami preparedness, supporting countries to meet the 12 UNESCO‑IOC Tsunami Ready indicators. Activities will include national capacity‑building, technical support for inundation and evacuation mapping, and a joint on‑the‑job training hosted at INCOIS in March 2026.

The phase will support India, Iran, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, with implementation led by the IOTWMS Secretariat and IOTIC, under the strategic guidance of the RWG‑NWIO. A complementary FUST‑supported initiative will assist Madagascar and Seychelles in piloting Tsunami Ready in one community each.

Participation

The meeting was well attended, with approximately 60–70 participants representing Member States, national tsunami warning centres, disaster management authorities, UNESCO field offices, ESCAP, academic institutions, and community‑level partners.