The Government of Sri Lanka hosted the 4th Ministerial Conference of the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) with the support of Washington DC (the United States of America, USA)-based World Bank (WB) through CARE Component-1 and London (the United Kingdom, UK)-based Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), held from May 07 to 09, 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- India participated at the 4th Ministerial Conference of RIMES as a co-chair along with Sri Lanka. The Indian delegation was led by Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES).
- Theme of 4th Ministerial Conference of RIMES: ‘Actionable Early Warnings and Climate Services for All’.
- The conference aimed at achieving the objectives of the Early for All Initiatives by fixing gaps across the entire weather and climate information value chain.
Note: India currently holds the chair of the RIMES Council, underscoring its pivotal role in advancing regional efforts toward climate resilience and disaster preparedness.
Key Highlights:
i.Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka represented India at the RIMES Council Meeting, which was held on the sidelines of 4th Ministerial Conference of RIMES.
- The council held discussions on institutional priorities and finalized the draft Ministerial Declaration.
ii.During the meeting, he reaffirmed India’s commitment to RIMES initiatives such as the ‘Early Warning for All’ program and the decentralization of RIMES operation.
- During the conference, he expressed India’s readiness to host the proposed RIMES Regional Centre.
iii.The conference concluded with the adoption of the ‘Ministerial Declaration’ by RIMES member states, reinforcing their collective commitment to promoting multi-hazard early warning systems, climate services, and disaster-resilient development in the region.
About Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES):
i.RIMES was formally established in April 2009. Currently, it hosts a total 62 member nations including, 22 member states and 40 collaborating nations.
ii.RIMES is an intergovernmental organisation that supports its member nations with end-to-end early warning services, capacity building, and disaster risk reduction.
iii.The 1st Ministerial Conference of RIMES was held in June, 2012 in New Delhi, Delhi (India).
- Papua New Guinea hosted the 3rd Ministerial Conference of RIMES in September, 2017.
About Sri Lanka:
President- Anura Kumara Dissanayake
Capital- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative capital), Colombo (judicial and executive capital)
Currency– Sri Lankan Rupee (SLR)
