The launch of an early warning system in Tuvalu will better inform residents of the Pacific island nation about oncoming cyclones and other disasters, according to a senior UN official in the region.

It is the first such system for the Pacific and can be replicated in other nations there, said Bakhodir Burkhanov, head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) office for the region.

Tuvalu is a chain of nine low-lying islands and atolls spread over thousands of miles of ocean, making them vulnerable to rising sea levels and other effects of climate change.

Julia Dean spoke to Mr Burkhanov during his recent visit to Australia.

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