World Meteorological Organization

The second session of the Commission for Weather, Climate, Water and other Environmental Services (SERCOM-2) was convened at WMO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland from 17 to 21 October 2022. The session, which included an online component for those unable to travel to Geneva, was attended by more than 400 delegates from nearly ninety Members of SERCOM and several international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

SERCOM is the parent technical commission of the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) and, as a consequence, SERCOM-2 addressed all of the recommendations arising from an SC-AVI-2 meeting held in March/April 2022.

The Members of SERCOM formulated recommendations and took decisions on an array of subjects linked to service delivery, including as these relate to the provision of aeronautical meteorological services.

Of specific relevance to the aeronautical meteorology community, SERCOM-2 formulated a recommendation on a proposed amendment to the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, General Meteorological Standards and Recommended Practices and update to the Compendium of WMO Competency Frameworks (WMO-No. 1209) addressing the qualification and competency requirements of aeronautical meteorological personnel (observers and forecasters). SERCOM-2 also formulated a recommendation pertaining to a plan of action on the discontinuation of Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation. These two recommendations will be submitted to the nineteenth World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19) for consideration and adoption as part of Cg-19 resolutions. The Cg-19 session will be convened in May/June 2023.

In addition, SERCOM-2 formulated recommendations on proposed updates to WMO guidance material addressing aeronautical meteorological service delivery (WMO-No. 732) and the cost recovery of aeronautical meteorological services (WMO-No. 904). These recommendations will be submitted to the seventy-sixth session of the WMO Executive Council (EC-76) for consideration and adoption through EC-76 resolutions. EC-76 will be convened in February/March 2023.

Members of SERCOM also noted, through an information paper, the status of an update to the long-term plan for aeronautical meteorology and approved, through the formulation of a SERCOM-2 resolution, a minor amendment to the terms of reference of SC-AVI.

Other highlights of SERCOM-2 included the formulation of recommendations on the following matters (non-exhaustive): A proposed new edition of the WMO Strategy for Service Delivery (WMO-No 1129); proposed amendments to the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M) and Basic Instruction Package for Meteorological Technicians (BIP-MT); an implementation plan for the methodology of cataloguing hazardous weather, climate, water and space weather events; an implementation plan for a global multi-hazard alert system (GMAS) framework; a concept note for a multi-hazard early warning services (MHEWS) interoperable environment framework; and an implementation plan for a WMO Coordination Mechanism (WCM) through which WMO can coordinate enhanced support to the United Nations and humanitarian agencies. SERCOM-2 also formulated a decision to further promote gender equality.

Immediately after the SERCOM-2 session, a joint technical conference (TECO) of SERCOM and the Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM) was convened on 22 October 2022. The theme of the TECO was: The UN Global Early Warning Initiative for Climate Adaptation: Early Warnings For All. The TECO was then followed by a second session of the Infrastructure Commission (INFCOM-2) from 24 to 28 October 2022. The next session of the Services Commission (SERCOM-3) is tentatively scheduled for 18 to 22 March 2024 at WMO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The next session of the Infrastructure Commission (INFCOM-3) is also scheduled for Q1 2024, although the two technical commissions are not expected to convene their next sessions back-to-back.

CLICK HERE for more information on SERCOM.

CLICK HERE for more information on INFCOM.

CLICK HERE to return to our homepage.