Joint WMO/ITU Regional Seminar on Radio Frequency Matters for Arab Member States
(Europe/Zurich:
09 February 2026, 09:00 - 10 February 2026, 17:30)
Past event
United Arab Emirates
Joint WMO/ITU Regional Seminar on Radio Frequency Matters for Arab Member States (9-10 February 2026)
Date & Time
9-10 February 2026, 09:00-17:30 Abu Dhabi time (UTC+4)
Location
National Centre of Meteorology, 19th Street - Al Shawamekh, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Regional Seminar on Radio Frequency matters for Arab states
Presentations
9 February 2026
| Time (UTC+4) | Session | Speaker | Video |
| 08:30-09:00 | Registration | ||
| 09:00-09:10 | Opening remarks | Mr . Omar Al Yazeedi (NCM) | |
| Overview of WMO and ITU activities for meteorology and related environmental fields | |||
| 09:10-09:30 | Overview of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) | Natalia Donoho (WMO) | Video 1 |
| 09:30-09:50 | WMO activities relevant to spectrum matters | Alec Casey (ECCC, ET-RFC Co-Chair) | Video 2 |
| 09:50-10:15 | ITU-R activities relevant to meteorology and related environmental fields | Vadim Nozdrin (ITU) | Video 3 |
| 10:15-11:15 | Group photo and NCM facilities tour | ||
| Radio technologies of Earth observations | |||
| 11:10-11:40 | Overview of MetSat systems | Markus Dreis (EUMETSAT) | Video 4 |
| 11:40-12:30 | Passive & Active sensing | Yan Soldo (ESA) | Video 5 |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch | ||
| Radio technologies of Earth observations | |||
| 13:30-14:00 | Radiosonde, lightning system, radiometer | Safana Judge (UK MetOffice) | Video 6 |
| 14:00-14:30 | Space weather sensor | Eric Allaix (Meteo-France) | Video 7 |
| 14:30-15:10 | Weather radar, wind profiler, oceanographic radar | Jan Rozema (EUMETNET) | Video 8 |
| 15:10-15:40 | Coffee break | ||
| Societal economic value of radio spectrum for meteorology | |||
| 15:40-16:20 | Impact of RFI on Numerical Weather Prediction and Climate Reanalysis | Stephen English (ECMWF) | Video 9 |
| 16:20-16:50 | Relation between radio spectrum for Meteorology and Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs)(extract from ESSEO report) | Yan Soldo (ESA) | Video 10 |
| 17:00 | End of Day 1 | ||
| 18:00 | Cultural visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque | ||
10 February 2026
| Time | Session | Speaker | Video |
| World Radiocommunication Conference | |||
| 09:00-09:30 | ITU-R preparation for WRC-27 | Markus Dreis (ITU-R SG7 Chair) | Video 11 |
| 09:30-10:00 | WMO preparation for WRC-27 | Alec Casey (ECCC, ET-RFC Co-Chair) | Video 12 |
| 10:00-10:30 | ASMG preparations for WRC-27 | Ramzi Halimouche, Chair of Working Group 4, ASMG | N/A |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee break | ||
| Arab session | |||
| 11:00-11:20 | Presentation from the National Centre of Meteorology meteorological of the United Arab Emirates | Karel DeWaal & Andrew VanderMerwe | Video 13 |
| 11:20-11:40 | Presentation from the Jordan Meteorological Department | Wael Abdelhadi | |
| 11:40-12:00 | Presentation from the Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) | Wafaa Darwish | |
| 12:00-12:20 | Presentation from the Syrian Meteorological Department | Feras Natouf | |
| 12:20-12:30 | Presentation from the Directorate General of Meteorology of Morocco | Youssef DARARI | |
| 12:30-13:30 | Lunch | ||
| Round table and conclusions | |||
| 13:30-14:00 | Identification of the [x] key topics as extracted from the presentations for the Round table discussion in a [x]-slides presentation. | Markus Dreis (ITU-R SG7 Chair) | Video 14 |
| 14:00-15:30 | This session offers attendees a chance to reflect on key points discussed during the workshop and identify actionable takeaways. As identified in the presentation above, topics for discussion include: · Sharing experiences related to engagement between NMHS & NRA · Discussing approaches for presenting WMO positions on specific agenda items to national regulators | Break-out groups moderated by ET-RFC members | |
| 15:30-16:00 | Coffee break | ||
| 16:00-16:40 | Reporting back on the outcomes of the break-out groups | Natalia Donoho (WMO) & Eric Allaix (Meteo-France) | |
| 16:40-17:30 | Round up and closing | ||