Strengthening disaster resilience through National Emergency Telecommunication Plans: Helping countries stay connected when it matters most
As climate change fuels more frequent and intense hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather events, along with the increment of geological hazards such as strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, countries need more than resilient telecommunications infrastructure. National Emergency Telecommunication Plans (NETPs) help ensure that governments, emergency responders, telecommunications operators, humanitarian partners and communities can communicate before, during, and after disasters, to carry out preparedness actions that enable them to provide a fast response and recovery efforts.
NETPs establish governance structures, define institutional roles and responsibilities, create or strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks, and set out operational procedures to keep communications functioning throughout the disaster management cycle . They also promote the implementation of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems, in close coordination with the Early Warnings for All initiative, which supports the delivery of timely emergency information and life-saving alerts to communities at risk.
Supporting more countries to develop NETPs
Recognizing the growing need for resilient emergency communications, the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has supported, as of September 2026, 44 countries around the world in developing these NETPs, of which 13 are least developed countries (LDCs), 12 are small island developing states (SIDS), and 11 are landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). These NETPs draw from the Guidelines for Developing National Emergency Telecommunications Plans , which was released in 2020 and is currently being updated according to the evolution of technologies and needs of countries. In 2026 alone, BDT handed over NETPs to Senegal and Haiti . For both countries, developing the NETP marks an important step in turning the lessons of past disasters into better preparedness for the future.
Building regional resilience through regional model frameworks
To further assist more countries, BDT has developed two NETP regional model frameworks that provide guidance and serve as templates when countries decide to develop or update NETPs.
In 2024, BDT launched the Southern African Development Community (SADC) model national emergency telecommunication plan (NETP) , providing a practical template that countries can adapt to their own legal, institutional and operational contexts.
Building on this success, BDT published the National emergency telecommunication plan (NETP): Model framework for West Africa in 2026. Developed for the region’s sixteen countries, the framework offers practical guidance that helps governments prepare national plans more efficiently while strengthening regional cooperation during cross-border emergencies.
BDT is also in the final stages of developing the framework for Central African countries.
The model frameworks’ key strength is their flexibility. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach, the frameworks allow countries to customize the template based on their individual needs, institutional capacities, and linguistic contexts.
Moving from preparedness to resilience
Each NETP is developed through a country-led consultative process involving disaster management authorities, ministries, regulators, telecommunications operators, humanitarian partners, among other stakeholders, with BDT providing technical expertise.
As climate-related and geological hazards become increasingly frequent and severe, preparing communications systems before an emergency is no longer optional. By helping countries develop and implement NETPs, BDT is enabling governments globally to move from reactive crisis response to proactive resilience — ensuring lives and livelihoods are protected when disasters strike.
This is an ITU Development #BDT4Impact story.