Long-term observation of the atmosphere, land and ocean is particularly vital as a foundation for monitoring climate variability and climate change. It is necessary for evaluating the effectiveness of policies implemented to mitigate climate change and for improving climate prediction models and tools.

On the other hand observations are also essential for managing climate variability, including for assessing social and economic vulnerabilities and for developing climate services needed for adaptation.

The Meeting on sector applications and climate observation community dialogue   focuses on observation and monitoring. It aims at engaging stake holders in key priority areas for the GFCS: Agriculture, Water, Health and Disaster Risk Reduction jointly with climate observation community to develop a common understanding towards bridging the observed gaps in observations and monitoring including observations on climate variables and observation of social and economic variables. The ultimate goal is to provide the required data in quality and quantity to support the generation of products and delivery of climate services to the key priority sectors.