World Climate Applications and Services Programme, including the CLIPS project

3.2.5.1 Congress noted the revised structure and priorities for the World Climate Applications and Services Programme/Climate Information and Prediction Services (WCASP/CLIPS) identified by the Commission for Climatology at its fourteenth session. Noting its previously stated concerns over resource constraints for CLIPS, Congress recognized that the new priorities and cross-cutting activities would likely require extrabudgetary resources to supplement the programme and budget for 2008–2011.

Integrating CLIPS with Climate Applications and Services

3.2.5.2 Congress adopted Resolution 13 (Cg-XV) — World Climate Applications and Services Programme, including the CLIPS project, which further consolidated CLIPS and applications and services within the Programme.

Climate and development

3.2.5.3 Congress highlighted the importance of Members actively participating in initiatives that linked climate and development. Congress urged the Secretary-General to pursue key partnerships for the Secretariat and Members in climate-related and development-oriented international initiatives including relevant aspects of the five-year Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Congress noted the importance of building stronger partnerships with users for effective application of climate information in adaptation and sustainable development activities.

WMO Conference on Living with Climate Variability and Change: understanding the uncertainties and managing the risks

3.2.5.4 Acting on the request of Fourteen Congress, as contained in the Abridged Final Report

with Resolutions of the Fourteenth World Meteorological Congress (WMO-No. 960), general

summary, paragraph 3.2.5.7, the WMO Conference on Living with Climate Variability and Change: understanding the uncertainties and managing the risks was held in Espoo, Finland, from 17 to 21 July 2006. Congress complimented the Secretary-General, the co-sponsors, other contributing agencies and the Scientific and Local Organizing Committees for the success of the event. Congress endorsed the Espoo Statement, noting in particular the need to develop climate services within real-world decision contexts, and that multidisciplinary collaboration and cross-disciplinary exchange of information were required in order to develop all aspects of climate-related risk management. Congress noted further the role and functions of NMHSs as identified in the Espoo Statement and draft Final Report, recognized the importance of developing local capacity within NMHSs in that regard, and the potential utility of similar conferences at the regional scale.

Technical support and capacity-building

3.2.5.5 Congress urged the continuation of the generous support of Members, institutions including the Global Producing Centres of Long-range Forecasts, and experts, and stressed the potential future contributions of Regional Climate Centres, for the modelling, product development,

training and capacity-building facets of WCASP/CLIPS. It further urged that they made available their climate data and products to all NMHSs in a timely and consistent manner.

3.2.5.6 Congress recognized that training continued to be a major requirement of Members for provision of state-of-the-art climate services. Congress noted that CLIPS training programmes had been implemented in several subregions, in a cyclical fashion. Congress expressed its concern, however, that the needs of Members for updated training sessions could not be met owing to resource constraints and strongly urged Members with the capacity, and relevant institutions to provide the financial and technical support to help accelerate the training cycle. Congress agreed that the current components of the CLIPS Curriculum needed to be further developed into complete, self-contained modules that could be integrated into regular training activities, and recommended that WCASP/CLIPS work with the WMO Education and Training Department for that purpose.

3.2.5.7 Congress recognized the need for user and public education and outreach programmes. Lessons learned from various capacity-building activities in the past clearly showed that expected benefits of climate products and services had not been fully realized owing to lack of understanding and awareness of users and intermediaries. Congress urged the Secretary-General to foster user-oriented training and awareness-raising in WCASP activities, including through the publication of pamphlets and booklets highlighting the socio-economic benefits of climate services.

CLIPS Focal Points coordination and reporting

3.2.5.8 Congress urged Members to appoint/renew national CLIPS Focal Points within their Services to continue CLIPS activities. Congress endorsed the appointment of Rapporteurs at the regional level and supported the initiative to coordinate the CLIPS and Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Focal Point networks.

Regional climate outlooks and their sustainability

3.2.5.9 Congress recognized that Regional Climate Outlook Forums demonstrated substantial benefits to capacity-building, networking and user and end-user liaison, but noted that the availability of funding for their initiation or continuation was a major issue for many Members, particularly in developing countries. Congress urged Members to work towards increasing support for regional climate outlooks, optimizing resources by adopting cost-effective methods, and demonstrating the value of their products and services to users.

Research, operational and communication needs in climate prediction

3.2.5.10 Congress recognized the importance of regular research inputs into operational climate prediction, and urged the Secretary-General to promote enhanced collaboration of the World Climate Programme and the Commission for Climatology with the World Climate Research Programme. Congress thanked those institutions and experts who had been enthusiastically assisting application of new research and transfer of technology, particularly in developing countries. Congress urged Members to build on those initiatives and further enhance their research capacities.

3.2.5.11 Congress noted the importance of delivering climate prediction products using common formats and procedures, for example in terms of verification, reference period, probabilistic or deterministic presentation, and urged Members, Global Producing Centres, the Commission for Climatology and the Commission for Basic Systems to work together to define and implement those.

El Niño and La Niña Updates

3.2.5.12 Keeping in view the importance of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the

climate variability across the world, Members appreciated the WMO publication of global consensus-driven El Niño and La Niña Updates, and urged that those be continued. The Updates principally focused on the El Niño state, while information on associated impacts, if any, was the responsibility of relevant NMHSs. Members agreed to support WMO compilation of information on ENSO-related definitions, events and impacts. Noting the need to enhance linkages between the WMO components of the World Climate Programme (WCDMP and WCASP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) component (World Climate Impacts and Responses Programme, WCIRP), Congress requested the Secretary-General to invite UNEP/WCIRP to participate in development of the Updates and the WCP/CCl/DPM project on El Niño and La Niña impacts. In addition, Congress recommended that other large-scale indices having regional impacts, such as the Indian Ocean Dipole, be considered for future Updates.

Next steps for CLIPS

3.2.5.13 Congress noted that the CLIPS Project had been established in 1995 under

Resolution 9 (Cg-XII) – Climate Information and Prediction Services (CLIPS). Acknowledging the accomplishments and contributions of CLIPS to the development of climate services around the world and recognizing the outcomes of the Espoo Conference (see paragraph 3.2.5.4), Congress urged the Secretary-General to work with CCl to revisit the goals and objectives of CLIPS in regard to providing climate services that contributed to real-world decision-making within multidisciplinary contexts; to draft an Implementation Plan for future evolution of CLIPS activities; and, within the Implementation Plan, to propose options for a cross-cutting guidance mechanism for CLIPS, to include the World Climate Research Programme, Education and Training Programme, Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme, Programme for Least Developed Countries, and other relevant programmes. Congress requested the Secretary-General to present the draft Implementation Plan to the Commission for Climatology at its fifteenth session in 2009 for its review and appropriate recommendations to Sixteenth Congress in 2011.

Climate Applications and Services for health, energy, tourism and urban sectors

3.2.5.14 Congress appreciated the decision of the Technical Conference on Climate as a

Resource (Beijing, China, 1–2 November 2005), organized by WMO in collaboration with the China Meteorological Administration, to promote activity in the assessment and utilization of climate resources in key socio-economic sectors, including building, energy, health care and tourism. Congress urged Members to participate in projects associated with assessment of climate resource potential.

3.2.5.15 Congress appreciated the long-standing partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), and others in climate applications to health. Congress noted the WMO/WHO Guidelines on Heat-Health Warning Systems and urged the Secretariat to publish and disseminate the Guidelines to all Members as a matter of priority. Congress urged the Secretary-General to promote the WCP/CCl/DPM project on Heat-Health Warning Systems, to facilitate relevant training and implementation of those systems in regions vulnerable to deadly heatwaves, and to take steps to extend AREP/THORPEX and GCOS initiatives in Africa and those of multi-hazard Early Warning Systems with climate and health applications to other vulnerable regions.

3.2.5.16 Noting the value of climate information for planning, design and operations of sustainable, climate-friendly, renewable and conventional energy industries, Congress urged the Secretary-General to promote effective collaborations between relevant partners including WCASP/CLIPS, the Commission for Climatology, Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, academia and the private sector and to develop risk management strategies using climate derivative products.

3.2.5.17 Recognizing the importance of the tourism sector to the global economy, Congress urged the Secretary-General to facilitate inter-departmental and inter-agency coordination for climate and tourism, between WCASP/CLIPS, the Commission for Climatology, Public Weather Services, Communications and Public Affairs, Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme, Programme for Least Developed Countries, the United Nations World Tourism Organization and other relevant agencies including the private sector. Congress noted the recent WMO initiatives to organize a scoping workshop on climate and tourism, and urged the Secretary- General to support that event as a matter of priority within the limits of the available budget.

3.2.5.18 Congress recognized that the rapid urban population growth would have serious consequences to the health and well-being of an increasing share of the world’s population, which would be at risk from the effects of urban climate hazards, and the need to develop building codes for reducing vulnerability in high-risk areas. Congress urged the Secretary-General to promote the WCP/CCl/DPM project on Integrating Hydrometeorological Risk Assessment in Urban Planning and Building Design, and to foster close collaboration between WCASP/CLIPS, the Commission for Climatology, Commission for Hydrology, Education and Training Programme, Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme, Atmospheric Research and Environment Programme GAW Urban Research Meteorology and Environment Project, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, academia and the private sector.

3.2.6 World Climate Impact Assessment and Response Strategies Programme (agenda