The IASC Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWSweb) is an inter-agency partnership project aimed at establishing a common platform for humanitarian early warnings and forecasts for natural hazards. The main objective of HEWSweb is to bring together and make accessible in a simple manner the most credible early warning information available at the global level from multiple specialized institutions.

The HEWSweb concept has been initially proposed by a subsidiary body of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (the IASC Sub-Working Group on Preparedness) and endorsed by the IASC-WG in September 2004. The service has been developed by the World Food Programme and its technical staff on behalf of the IASC, building on inputs from all IASC partners.

The HEWSweb service has dedicated pages for each type of hazard (see top navigation bar). This includes dedicated pages for floods, storms, locust, volcanoes, earthquakes, weather and other hazards.

• A first global one-stop shop for early warning information for all natural hazards;
• Provides systematic, credible and real-time early warning;
• Makes access to early warning information faster and easier;
• Enhances the use of early warning by displaying graphics, maps, and simple (non-technical) language and messages that are accessible to managers & decision-makers;
• Fosters greater links between early warning and preparedness actions and response among partners;
• 70% dynamically updated with real-time information. Minimal maintenance, cost-effective;
• Brings together key partners in the humanitarian community under one strategic EW project and initiative;
• Fosters the development of a common language in Early Warning;
• Makes available global early warning information to the wider humanitarian community;

HEWSweb is based and depends fundamentally on the early warning information currently made available worldwide through a variety of specialized agencies and institutions. IASC partners include WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, OCHA, ICRC, IFRC, UNHCR, WHO, FAO, WMO, IOM, SCHR. Partnerships with external, non-UN specialized institutions and sources have been or are being established. Among others, this includes the following institutions:

• US Geological Survey
• Dartmouth Flood Observatory
• FAO Locust Watch
• Smithsonian Institution
• Tropical Storm Risk
• NOAA
• Joint Typhoon Warning Center
• National Hurricane Center
• Central Pacific Hurricane Center

HEWSweb is a service of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its members and it is intended as a free service for the benefit of the wider humanitarian community. HEWsweb will be under the overall purview of the IASC SWG on Preparedness and Contingency Planning which will manage it on behalf of the IASC. The United Nations World Food Programme will be responsible for coordinating and managing the overall information content, design, and organization of HEWSweb on behalf of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its members.