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REGIONAL OFFICE FOR EUROPE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
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UN DECADE FOR OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2021 - 2030
As proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, 2021 to 2030 is the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. WMO joined the United Nations to mark World Oceans Day on 8 June with the theme “Life and Livelihoods”.
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This photo was one of the winners in the UN Oceans Day Photo Contest.
Credit: Michael Gallagher
WMO celebrated the ocean theme for the second time this year as the Ocean, our Climate and Weather was also the theme of World Meteorological Day on 23 March. World Met Day was a formally endorsed contribution from WMO to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021 to 2030.
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| Click Here to consult the new WMO Oceans webpage which provides a summary of the breadth of WMO’s ocean activities. |
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REPOSITIONING OF THE REGIONAL UN DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM
Repositioning the United Nations Development System (UNDS) at the regional level has been part of the overall UNDS reform. The regional review has aimed at achieving greater cohesion, a larger impact and more transparency for United Nations regional assets to support results on the ground. To better connect the regional UNDS entities and to advance collaboration, the Secretary-General has made recommendations in five transformative areas to revamp the regional architecture, namely the establishment of the Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP), the creation of a regional knowledge management hub, a yearly results report of the regional UN system in each region, the consolidation of data and statistical capacities, and common back offices.
Regional Collaborative Platform in Europe and Central Asia
The main collaboration platform for sustainable development among the entities of the UN system in Europe and Central Asia was formally established in December 2020. It comprises over 30 UN entities providing collective, multi-agency support to member States to advance the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. During the year 2020, helping to strengthen the response to the unfolding COVID-19 crisis was a particularly urgent priority. Building on a long-standing practice of cooperation among the regional UN entities in Europe and Central Asia, the initiative of the UN Secretary-General to reform the UNDS provided a welcome opportunity to further advance collaboration and joint action.
That would absorb existing, duplicative coordination mechanisms to foster collaboration on sustainable development across UN development system entities operating at the regional level.
Regional Issues-Based Coalitions (IBCs)
The work of the RCP is fed by eight dynamic IBCs, thematic coalitions of UN entities coordinating the UN response to cross-cutting challenges in the region, chaired by entities with relevant mandate and expertise.
Europe and Central Asia was the first region to establish IBCs as a mechanism to pull together the UN system-wide expertise in response to the identified regional challenges and development issues. IBCs are platforms established to support joint analytical work, joint advocacy and positioning, provide technical support to UNCTs and ensure knowledge sharing. The objective of establishing IBCs was to avoid silo-ed approaches considering the indivisibility of the SDGs and to focus the UN system support and engagement on development challenges and issues, not on UN agencies’ individual mandates.
Issues addressed by the IBCs are relevant across Europe and Central Asia, in the 18 programme countries and territories with UNCTs and RCs present, as well as the more than 30 non-programme countries. IBC mandates therefore comprise regional-level policy, analytical and advocacy work as well technical country-level support.
More specifically, the mandate of the IBCs includes:
(a) Technical support to UNCTs in the specific thematic area;
(b) Joint analytical work to support policy coherence across UN agencies;
(c) Knowledge development and knowledge sharing;
(d) Development of common positions and advocacy for the specific thematic area;
(e) Improved regional coordination, cooperation and partnerships;
(f) Providing joint contributions to regional intergovernmental processes.
The IBCs are demand-driven and do not engage in operational activities, design and/or implementation of joint projects and programmes.
Regional Development Cooperation Office plays an important role in better connecting the IBCs to the UN work at the country level, facilitating engagement with UNCTs and RCs.
Click HERE for more information on Issue Based Coallitions.
WMO Regional Office for Europe participates and contributes to:
1) the IBC Environment and Climate Change
2) the IBC on Sustainable Food Systems
3) Regional United Nations Group for Europe and Central Asia on Digital Transformation
providing technical support to UNCTs in specific thematic areas to accelerate SDG implementation, including through the UNSDCF and CCA processes and Collecting data, conducting analysis and developing regional policy in the respective areas of work.
Regional knowledge management hub
The establishment of strong knowledge management hub in the region is another transformative area put forward as critical to reposition the UN regional assets.
The regional knowledge management hub is being developed to provide consolidated access to knowledge products and expertise of the regional UN system. Three elements are being considered in this context: knowledge products such as publications, reports or guidelines; expertise held by staff members; and data management.
Regarding access to knowledge products, cooperation is ongoing with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which has been developing a comprehensive and technologically advanced search tool for UN knowledge products named MANARA. The tool uses artificial intelligence to identify and describe products the user is searching for. The MANARA system will be adapted to the region and rolled out in the course of 2021.
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UN REGIONAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
The fifth session of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) region was held as a hybrid meeting at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 17 and 18 March 2021.
The session was co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Portugal, Mr. Francisco André, and the State Counsellor to the Prime Minister of Romania, Mr. László Borbély.
Representatives of about 200 non-governmental organizations as well as representatives of academia, the private sector, national human rights institutions, national meteorological and hydrological services and other organizations also participated.
A complete list of participants as well as the statements delivered by the speakers in the plenray and round table sessions can be found on the website of the regional forum at https://regionalforum.unece.org.
Click on the table below to see the policy actions presented by WMO to the Forum sessions.
The outcomes of the Regional Forum were reported to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2021, held from 6 to 15 July 2021, during the session “Messages from the regions”.
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UNITED NATIONS FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT
In September or October 2021, the UN Secretary-General will convene a Food Systems Summit with the aim of maximizing the co-benefits of a food systems approach across the entire 2030 Agenda and meeting the challenges of climate change. The Summit aims to provide a platform for ambitious new actions, innovative solutions, and plans to transform food systems and leverage these shifts to deliver progress across all of the SDGs. Preparations are underway.
Regional dialogue
A regional dialogue on “Policy and governance issues to transform food systems in Europe and Central Asia” was organized on 25 May 2021 by the UN Issue-based Coalition on Sustainable Food Systems for Europe and Central Asia.
The Regional dialogue was convened to discuss key policy and governance issues related to sustainable food systems, with a focus on the need for strong governance and holistic approaches to build equitable food systems for improved livelihoods and nutritional status of the most vulnerable, and to afford nature-positive production and climate-resilient food systems. The dialogue facilitated sharing of information and experiences on opportunities, challenges, and appropriate policy actions for sustainable transformation of the food systems in Europe and Central Asia, in the context of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Elena Mateescu, the Director General of the Romanian National Meteorological Administration, the Vice-Chair of the WMO Staning Committee on Services for Agriculture participated in the panel discussion and communicated a key message covering several asects and namely on:
a) the latest available techniques in support of land and water management,
b) how the knowledge on these can be transferred across the region,
c) how to manage natural resources, including water, for sustainable agri-food production,
d) what strategies could cope with climate variability.
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| Watch the Regional dialogue on Food Systems |
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Food systems community of practice for Europe and Central Asia
A “food systems community” for Europe and Central Asia region has been set up on the UNFSS Community website which will feed into the event and allow for continued dialogue, information exchange and sharing of best practice following the event.
The Community aims at becoming a regional community of good practice from all over the region inspired and motivated to take action in the digital and real world to promote game-changing solutions for the sustainability of the food systems.
The platform is open to representatives from governmental institutions, Civil Society Organizations, private sector, academia, youth groups, women’s groups, farmer’s associations, and other institutions and groups working on food systems, as well as interested consumers, activists and individuals. Stakeholders can engage in the platform as individuals or as representative of their institutions.
It is an opportunity to share ideas and information from the UN Food Systems Summit independent dialogues and the UNFSS Member States dialogues, taking place in the region.
Check out the current DISCUSSION GROUPS and share your thoughts on:
What are the key issues to be considered if we want to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the food systems in Europe and Central Asia? Who has a role in addressing these issues?
How to make our Food Systems safer, stronger & more equitable in Europe and Central Asia UN Food Systems Summit 2021?
Have you been directly involve in organizing an independent or member state dialogue? If yes, please share some of your experiences and results with us to inform food systems transformation in Europe and Central Asia.
On the Platform there is also a Photo Sharing Initiative - Sustainable food systems’ solutions for Europe and Central Asia through your lens!
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| Join the Food System Summit Community |
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REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
The 2020 Report of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Europe and Central Asia (SOFI 2020) is the sixth regional report monitoring trends and progress made towards reaching SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) food security and nutrition targets in the region.
The theme of this 2020 edition is the Affordability of sustainable healthy diets and their usefulness to ending hunger and malnutrition in the region. The sustainability prospects of healthy diets are recognized and analysed throughout the report, but the main focus of this report is a quantitative analysis of the cost and affordability of healthy diets at national and subnational levels.
The report was launched at a high-level event on 12 May 2021.
Contributing to the publication, WMO participated in the launch event with an introductory remark and joined the panel discussion to emphasize some of the key messages using this opportunity to highlight specific aspects of the SOFI 2020 linked to the WMO mandate.
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| Watch the SOFI 2020 launch ceremony |
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WMO REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS REFORM
An historic reform of the constituent bodies has been carried out in accordance with the directions given at the seventeenth session of Congress in 2015 and the following sessions of the Executive Council in 2016 and 2017. Its aim was to ensure continuous improvement of processes and practices to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the constituent bodies and the overall efficiency of WMO. At its eighteenth session in 2019, Congress approved a consolidated proposal for the reform of the constituent bodies, aligned with the WMO Strategic Plan 2020–2023.
The Strategic Plan is intended to be a road map for the implementation of reform. It identifies five long-term goals:
(1) better serve societal needs;
(2) enhance Earth system observations and predictions;
(3) advance targeted research;
(4) close the capacity gap on weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services; and
(5) strategically realign WMO structures and programmes for effective policymaking and decision-making and implementation.
As a result of the reform, two new technical commissions were created in 2019 to replace the previous eight commissions. In the new structure, weather, climate, water and ocean infrastructure and services favour a holistic Earth system approach.
The two technical commissions support the implementation of the first and second long-term goals mentioned above.
The Research Board on Weather, Climate, Water and the Environment and the Scientific Advisory Panel of independent experts were also created in 2019 to support the implementation of the third goal.
Reform of the six Regional Associations is under way to enhance their respective roles in supporting implementation of the fourth goal.
To support the implementation of the fifth goal, the Technical Coordination Committee created in 2018 acts as a two-way interface between the Executive Council and the newly established technical commissions, the Research Board and other relevant bodies.
The reform is a significant investment in more streamlined governance. It should be continuously adjusted to ensure that it meets its stated objectives and assessed for lessons learned and good practices.
Communication is key to the success of the reform and more and better communication is needed. Regional Office for Europe will make use of the Regional Newsletter to ensure that Members receive sufficient updates on the reform process.
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| See the Real-time dashboard created in support of the reform process |
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Regional concept
In order to share the burden of the Regional Association reform efforts and gain buy-in, opportunities for wider participation of Members were created via the established RA VI High-Level Task Team on Regional Concept, as well as the conducted WMO Survey on the Role and Functioning of Regional Associations.
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| Read the report of RA VI president to the 73rd session of the WMO Executive Council |
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Development Partnerships and Public - private engagement
A significant challenge faced by NMHSs in developing countries is a lack of sufficient government support required to fulfill its public functions, improve and sustain weather and climate services at a level which optimizes the accuracy, timeliness and reliability of forecasts and warnings, and ultimately, optimizes their value and socio-economic impact to the country.
WMO, the World Bank and other development partners are pursuing initiatives and strategies to address this challenge. One such strategy involves increasing the collaboration between the Public, Private and Academic sectors of the Global Weather Enterprise.
The development of a transparent legal and regulatory framework is recommended in line with the World Meteorological Organization Geneva Declaration – 2019. It recognizes the importance of a national legal frameworks that define and establish the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the global weather enterprise in their respective territories.
The first online Global Weather Enterprize Forum discussed the variety of such legal frameworks with different impacts on the enterprise, with a view to promoting good national practices that ensure better services to the whole of society.
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| Click Here to watch the first GWE Forum on legislative frameworks that enable public-private engagement |
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In the second online Global Weather Enterprize Forum, a panel of leading experts drawn from across the public and private sectors explored inter-sector partnerships with the potential to increase the value of weather and climate services.
The issues included:
- What are the key challenges and risks?
- What are the potential benefits?
- How can NMHS’ support for PPE get started?
- Do other initiatives need to be considered in parallel, or as a follow on?
Kornélia Radics, President of the Hungarian Meteorological Service, the Vice-president of the RA VI and the leader of the RA VI Task Team on Intra and Inter-Regional Cooperation, Collaboration and Development Partnerships shared her perspectives on the key challenges of the NMHSs and shared the experience on interaction with private sector.
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| Watch the Global Weather Enterprise Forum on Increasing the socio-economic benefits of weather & climate services |
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Furthemore, a survey on the Members need to develop partnerships has been launched by the RA VI High-Level Task Team on Intra- and Inter-regional Cooperation, Collaboration and Development Partnerships. 28 responses enabled to see the staus quo and draft a proposal for further development.
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| Click Here to access the real-time dashboard with the results of the RA VI Survey of Members needs to develop partnerships. |
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For further promotion and knowledge transfer, Share with us your success stories of cooperation, collaboration and partnership. Certainly several digital partnerships emerged from this pandemic.
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RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The World Climate Research Programme Forum
On 9 June 2021, the World Climate Research Programme organized its first Forum on Climate research priorities for the next decade in Europe and Western Asia. The Forum exchanged ideas, discussed new activities and opportunities, explored ways that our community of scientists, partner programs, funders, and end-users of our climate science can engage to meet these challenges.
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Click HERE to watch
the First World Climate Research Programme Forum |
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The World Climate Research Programme Academy launches a survey with the aim to better understand the training needs of those working in the climate research sector. To participate, complete the survey by 26 November 2021. We want as broad a cross-section of the community to complete the survey as possible. Please do pass on this survey link to your colleagues and encourage them to complete it too. Any questions, please do contact us at wcrp-academy@wcrp-climate.org.
Global Atmosphere Watch Programme Symposium
The WMO Global Atmospheric Watch Programme organises a Symposium on a quadrennial basis. This year's symposium was conducted online from 28 June to 2 July 2021.
It consisted of the following scientific sessions:
1. Science for services: The importance of atmospheric composition
2. Filling critical gaps in observations
3. Atmospheric composition, pandemics, and support for a new health agenda
4. Earth system modeling and data management
On the last day, there were three panel discussions:
* Young scientists and capacity building in GAW
* Embracing diversity in GAW
* Reflections on Symposium and Way forward for GAW
Click HERE for more information.
In response to the recently adopted (Resolution 64 of the Cg-18), CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR INNOVATION AND ITS OPTIMAL RESOURCING, a concept note is being developed exploring innovation in research and its application in WMO Regions and, in alignment with Science for Services, enabling strategies and resources needed to realize the goals of the resolution.
The impetus for supporting research innovation in WMO Regions follows the WMO Strategic Plan 2020-2023:
- WMO Long term Goal 3: Advance targeted research: Leveraging leadership in science to improve understanding of the Earth system for enhanced services
- WMO Long term Goal 4: Close the capacity gap on weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services: Enhancing service delivery capacity of developing countries to ensure availability of essential information and services needed by governments, economic sectors and citizens.
The development of research capacity in all WMO Regions will advance the mission of WMO and enable National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and partners to deliver the services needed at the national and regional level. Those services need to be based on sound scientific understanding and skillful modeling of the Earth system, as articulated in the Science for Services and Earth System Modeling and Observations Concept Notes.
The aim of this concept note is to provide guidance to the WMO Research Board and Regional Associations in setting the priorities for research and development in the Regional Associations and in coordinating science projects at the regional level. The note also informs the WMO Research Board of key areas to be advanced during the 2021-2022 period and how to organize science topics for the science sessions at the Regional Association meetings.
From the regional survey, various ideas were collected for how the Member States could become more engaged and successful in their research aims. It reflects the current status of research innovations in the Region; how to engage a larger research community in service to society; and the key features of NMHSs, universities, the private sector, and other public sector organisations that enable effective partnerships. Finally, mechanisms are proposed for enhancing research in the next one to two years.
the RA VI Working Group on Research established at the part A of RA VI-18, in close coordination with the RA VI Represenative in the Research Board will promote and enhance the existing scientific and research collaboration.
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ICT & DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES
ICT or Information and Communication Technology is vital for sustainable development.
"ICTs for inclusive resilient and sustainalbe societies and economies", was the theme of this year World Summit on the Information Society Forum organized by ITU in close collaboration with WMO and other UN agencies.
To respond to sustainable development challenges, WMO has been working on many projects which heavily rely on ICT. For example, the WMO Multi-Hazard Early Warning System uses sophisticated computer model numerical weather prediction products. WMO is working with ITU on improving access and delivery of weather information, using modern smart technology.
This and other WMO initiatives, such as:
"Open CDMS project", "From Climate indicators to Sustainable Development: demonstrating the inteconnections through a digital and interactive tool", "Open data policy towards the benefit of the society: Ensuring a climate resilient recovery from COVID-19", were shared at the WSIS Forum's thematic sessions.
Thematic sessions:
- E-environment: Innovation in Data and Technology for Climate action (Click HERE to watch);
- Cross-cutting Session on Digitalization Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development Goals in the Wake of COVID-19 (Click HERE to watch): Accelerating the digital services as part of the 2021 Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region.
The full list of Official WSIS Forum 2021 Outcomes, and the below information materials are available on the WSIS Forum 2021 website: Highlights and Outcomes | WSIS Forum 2021 (itu.int)
Within the UN Regional Collaborative Platform, WMO Regional Office for Europe and the Regional UN Group for Digital Transformation participated in a stocktacking exercice, which principal role is to share knowledge and experience of activities designed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Click HERE to read the ICTs' solutions Stocktaking Report.
WMO, ITU and UNEP Focus Group on artifical inteligence for Natural Disaster Management organized a Workshop to explore the uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in supporting natural disaster prediction/early warning as well as improving our understanding of hazards and disasters.
The workshop elaborated on the role that AI plays (or could play) to support data collection and handling, improve modelling across spatiotemporal scales, and provide effective communication in the event of a natural disaster. Encompassing four sessions, the workshop had high-caliber scientific and technical presentations followed by interactive discussions.
Watch the recording HERE.
Common Information Platform is the center of the SEE-MHEWS-A system, allowing access to the forecasters from the SEE region to hydrological and meteorological data, information, forecasts and advisories. The aim of the CIP is that all data and products exchanged or created under the system will be accessible in an interactive for further use and/or post processing by the NMHSs. CIP will provide various tools and post processed products, which aim to improve forecasting of hazardous meteorological and hydrological events. Furthermore, the CIP is aimed to be a collaborative platform under which the forecasters from different countries can work together to forecast and provide warnings of transboundary hazards. CIP is currently under development, with prototype in operation in early 2022.
The access to the CIP via http://seemhews.app.seemhews-cip.ewchost.org/ is accessible for SEE-MHEWS-A project countries NMHSs only.
Regional Aircraft-Based Observations and WICAP implementation
RA VI Task Team on Aircraft-Based Observations considered and proposes to the RA VI a few options for the specific implementation in RA VI that will depend on the eventual WICAP Financial Framework. Nonetheless, it is currently expected that WICAP RA VI would be resourced on similar lines to the current EUMETNET-AMDAR programme, whereby a central team/teams is/are formed to work on behalf of all Members participating in WICAP. These participating Members will then be expected to financially contribute to the overall cost of running the programme, including management, data processing infrastructure and data purchase from the airlines/Data Service Providers.
Following assessment of potential airlines, as outlined in the RA VI Task Team on ABO AMDAR Regional Implementation Plan the current plans for developing AMDAR in RA VI will see the introduction of maybe 10 new participating airlines. Specifically, these are:
Turkish Airlines, SATA, El Al, WizzAir, Polish Airlines, to predominantly improve coverage in Western & Central Europe, while
Aeroflot, UTAir, S7, Belavia, Azerbaijan Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines are being considered to fundamentally add AMDAR coverage in the eastern regions of RA VI.
The list of airlines plans and expected timescales were all drawn up prior to the 2020 Covid crisis, which decimated the aviation sector and is only gradually expected to improve, not returning to pre-Covid air traffic levels until end 2023. This has already impacted WICAP in that little or no discussions have been possible with airlines during 2020/2021. Hence event discussions with existing AMDAR airlines about participating in WICAP have not been possible, let alone discussions with potential new participating airlines, and so discussions and subsequent developments are unlikely to occur until 2022 at the earliest.
EUMETSAT Information Days
Every two years, EUMETSAT organizes a Forum or Informaton days for its users, i.e., the NMHSs to provide information on the current status of EUMETSAT’s satellite programmes as well as to gather the feedback on the use of meteorological satellite data and to discuss subsequent activities.
Two spring sessions were held online for the NMHSs of Western Balkan as well as of Eastern Europe, Caucasian and Central Asia.
This year a specific focus was on the transition to the Meteosat Third Generation, which will replace MSG for the 0-degree service and will need an upgrade of the DAWBEE EUMETCast data reception and processing infrastructure.
The participants also addressed possible joint projects with the EU and WMO, with the aim of further supporting the operational access and use of EUMETSAT and Copernicus, data and products in your region.
EUMETSAT has a new data access strategy. In future, the NMHSs could receive and use data from a range of new data access mechanisms, in addition to the service provided via EUMETCast Europe.
Take advantage of the open webinars to learn more about these new data services. Webinars are advertised through the website and in the Training calendar, or visit the knowledge base for detailed information about how to use these new data access services: https://eumetsatspace.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/EUM/overview.
Hydrological Advisors Regional Forum
A Regional Forum of Hydrological advisers was held online on 27 April 2021. The purpose of this meeting was threefold: 1) to inform Hydrological Advisers of the most recent decision of WMO constituent bodies (mainly SERCOM and INFCOM) and on the evolution of relevant WMO activities that may call for action by Members; 2) to gather participants’ advice and suggestions on critical topics; and 3) to present and review in depth a specific activity and stimulate Members’ support and inputs to its implementation.
A detailed presentation was given on the WMO Hydrological Observing System, the WIGOS hydrological component allowing the publication, discovery and access of the online holdings of National Hydrological Services of historical and/or real-time data.
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| Click Here to access the WMO Community platform of Hydrological advisers and find the Forum presentations and report |
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EC-73 RESOLUTIONS, DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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Comprehensive Review of the WMO Regional Mechanisms and Approaches
A set of recommendations to be adopted by Cg-Ext on the Comprehensive Review of the WMO Regional Mechanisms and Approaches as part of the second phase of the WMO Reform. The recommendations are intended to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the regional associations and increase intra and inter-regional cooperation, partnerships and resources mobilization. Specifically, the recommendations will lead to enhanced implementation of Congress and EC decisions by WMO Members; better engagement with the United Nations system, regional economic commissions, and regional organizations; strengthened capacity of the WMO regional offices to coordinate regional partnerships and activities; strengthened engagement of the private sector and academia; and more effective support and capacity development of WMO Members.
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Collection of Climatological Standard Normals
The session of the Executive Session recognized the ultimate importance of Climatological Standard Normals as key reference data for the standardized description of mean climate conditions in a given location for meteorological and climate applications, services and research, as well as for national legislative standards including building standards, etc.
It is requested that data be calculated, digitized and provided in either EXCEL or text format, following the guidance provided in the WMO Guidelines on the Calculation of Climate Normals.
While Members are strongly encouraged to comply with the new standard as quickly as possible, WMO continues to serve as a collector of Climatological Standard Normals in order to establish a global holding of comparable and accessible standards. Submission of data are required from 1 October 2021 but not later than 31 March 2022.
To facilitate the process the Secretariat organized Regional Consultations on Climate Normals 1991-2020. We are confident that the consultations were helpful to our Members to calculate and share their Normals, which constitute a most important and widely used basic climate data set.
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| Click for additional information on Climatological Standard Normals |
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WMO Unified Policy for the International Exchange of Earth System Data
EC endorsed a unified policy on the international exchange of Earth system data to help Members to meet the explosive growth in demand for weather, climate and water services as the world grapples with the dual challenges of climate change and of increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The draft data policy resolution will now be submitted for adoption at the World Meteorological Congress extraordinary session (Cg-Ext) scheduled for October 2021. It paves the way for a sweeping update of policies on the free and unrestricted exchange of data − the bedrock of WMO since it was established more than 70 years ago. The WMO Unified Policy for the International Exchange of Earth System Data is based on WMO’s strategic integrated Earth system approach to all monitoring and prediction of weather, climate, water and related environmental phenomena, and will serve as the foundation of a wider push to strengthen the global observing networks and help overcome regional disparities.
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Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä Award for an Outstanding Research Paper on Instruments and Methods of Observation was awarded to Julian Gröbner (Switzerland) and Natalia Kouremeti (Switzerland) for their paper entitled “The Precision Solar Spectroradiometer (PSR) for direct solar irradiance measurements” published in Solar Energy 185 (2019), p. 199-210.
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Welcome and congratulations to the newly appointed Permanent Representatives and Hydrological Advisers
Permanent Representative of Poland with WMO
Prof. Mirosław Miętus
Deputy Director
Institute of Meteorology and Water Management National Research Institute
Hydrological Adviser of Poland
Dr Paweł Przygrodzki
Head of the Centre for Hydrological Services
Institute of Meteorology and Water Management- National Research Institute
Hydrological Adviser of Finland
Dr Jari Uusikivi
Head of Unit of Hydrological Monitoring and Watershed Modelling
Finnish Environment Institute
Republic of North Macedonia
Mr. Agim Murtezanov
Acting Director
Hydrometeorological Service
An Induction workshop for newly appointed Permanent Representatives was held online.
Click HERE to visit the event site with the PowerPoint presentations.
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OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
- COP 26 and CMP-16/CMA 3 of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Glasgow, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 31 October to 12 November 2021
- WMO & EUMETSAT Training School and Workshop on Dust Aerosol Detection and Monitoring, 12 to 17 November 2021, online
- Workshop on Methods in Aviation Meteorology, 15 to 25 November 2021, online
- European Forum for DRR, 24-26 November 2021, Matosinhos, Portugal
- European Forum on DRR, WMO-led side-event on Cooperation in South-East Europe for building better preparedness to meteorological and hydrological hazards, 26 November 2021
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