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Marking 20 years since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has urged governments and policymakers worldwide to bolster investments in tsunami preparedness.
The organisation unveiled a roadmap at an international conference in Banda Aceh, Indonesia to achieve 100 per tsunami-ready coastal communities globally by 2030.
The four-day conference brought together leading tsunami experts and policymakers, highlighting significant progress in global preparedness while underlining the challenges ahead. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Banda Aceh Statement, a global commitment to improving tsunami warning and mitigation systems. The initiative calls on states and civil society to accelerate investments to meet the 2030 goal.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s director-general, emphasised the importance of sustained efforts, calling on all Member States to continue their investments to ensure that coastal communities can respond swiftly and effectively when the threat arises.
Together, we have succeeded in making the world safer and better prepared for tsunamis. We have set up early warning systems and more than thirty countries have already benefited from UNESCO’s Tsunami Ready programme to train their populations. But there is still much work to be done
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s Director-General
Since the 2004 disaster, which claimed over 227,000 lives across 15 countries, UNESCO has led efforts to strengthen tsunami preparedness through its Tsunami Ready programme. Over 30 countries have benefited and critical early warning systems have been established. Yet, the organisation stressed that more is needed, especially as coastal populations grow.
Currently, 700 million people live in tsunami-prone coastal areas — a figure projected to reach 1 billion by 2050. Locally damaging tsunamis occur in the Pacific every 1-2 years and UNESCO estimates a near 100 per cent chance of a tsunami in the Mediterranean within the next 30 years.
The conference recognised new Tsunami Ready communities, including 26 in India and 12 in Indonesia and included real-time drills in two villages near Banda Aceh to test community preparedness. These exercises reinforced the importance of UNESCO’s three-step warning process:
Detection: Using advanced monitoring systems, such as seismic sensors and deep-ocean tsunami buoys, to identify sea-level disturbances rapidly.
Warning: Forecasting wave propagation and potential impacts, followed by immediate alerts.
Dissemination: Reaching vulnerable populations swiftly through diverse communication channels like sirens, radio and smartphones.
UNESCO has expanded its Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System to cover high-risk areas worldwide. Its global network includes tens of thousands of seismometers, over 1,200 active sea-level stations, submarine cable observatories and 74 deep-ocean tsunami buoys.
Experts at the conference reflected on lessons from past tsunamis, such as the 2011 Japanese tsunami that caused nearly 20,000 fatalities within minutes. These events underscore the need for rapid threat assessment, effective warning systems and well-prepared communities.
UNESCO also aims to provide tsunami confirmation within 10 minutes or less for high-risk coastlines by 2030, as part of its commitment to safeguarding lives and reducing disaster impacts.