2026 International Training Course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Empowered Early Warnings for All kicked off at the Songjiang Campus of Donghua University on June 1. Meteorological staff from over 30 countries worldwide, Chinese and international experts and scholars in meteorology, as well as representatives from government departments and enterprises gathered in Songjiang University Town, Shanghai, to conduct in-depth exchanges and pragmatic cooperation centering on leveraging AI for disaster prevention and mitigation and advancing the implementation of the United Nations’Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.

During the opening ceremony, YU Jun, an official with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific (RAP) , stated that AI serves as a critical driving force for the rollout and implementation of the EW4All initiative. Drawing on Shanghai’s robust meteorological heritage and robust strengths in scientific and technological innovation, WMO Regional Association II (Asia) keeps deepening regional cooperation to accelerate the development of a multi-hazard urban early warning centre and comprehensively boost regional disaster resilience.

Besides, Shanghai Meteorological Service, the People’s Government of Songjiang District, Donghua University and Shanghai International Studies University signed a strategic cooperation agreement to jointly build the International Training Center for Urban Multi-Hazard Early Warning，Songjiang., establishing a long-term platform for the global application of China’s MAZU solution for EW4All.

Building on the curriculum framework of its inaugural session, the 2nd training programme has undergone comprehensive upgrading and refinement. Adopting an open approach to share China’s practical solutions, the initiative leverages technological advances to bridge the "last mile" of early warning service delivery. Centered on AI technologies, the training curriculum covers priority fields including multi-hazard early warning, health meteorology, agrometeorology, low-Earth-orbit satellite applications and precision typhoon forecasting.

Tailored to the practical disaster prevention and mitigation needs of participating countries, the training features four major modules of in-depth docking and innovative content to enhance its pertinence and practicality, covering weather modification, meteorological services for water-saving drought-resistant rice, international application of health meteorology, and early-warning scenarios for BRICS nations.

Breaking the confines of conventional classroom teaching, the training programme enables participants to attend lectures delivered by leading specialists, engage in hands-on practical training and cross-border joint research, as well as take part in immersive field visits to the Shanghai Meteorological Museum, the Yangtze River Delta G60 Sci-Tech Corridor and Fuxing Island. A host of featured events, including Shanghai-style cultural appreciation and an international friendly badminton tournament, are arranged throughout the training period.

Author: ZHU Ye

Editor: LIU Shuqiao