Challenges and opportunities ahead for WMO.

I sometimes challenge my interlocutors, asking whether they can name one human activity that is not in one way or other influenced by weather, climate or water. Indeed, every person and nearly all social and economic activities are affected by these three elements--the major areas falling within the mandate of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Moreover, nothing is more global: weather, climate and the water cycle know no national boundaries. They are, therefore, among the most obvious areas for beneficial cooperation among nations.

Indeed, it is opportune to recall that even at the peak of the cold war, meteorology was among the very few fields where the superpowers were able to collaborate easily and openly. Such collaboration gave rise to some of the most important advances in the science of meteorology, including in the fields of observation, as well as data and information processing and exchange. That era saw the dawn of meteorological satellites, which enabled global coverage and the conduct from 1968 to 1982 of one of the most extensive and universal research programmes in any scientific discipline. The seeds for such cooperation were sown some '150 years ago with the First International Meteorological Conference, held in Brussels in 1853, which led to the creation of the International Meteorological Organization in 1873, and ultimately of WMO in 1950.

Since then, the meteorological community has learnt to harness every advance in related sciences and technology, and to apply it to the understanding of the behaviour of the atmosphere, its impact on the Earth system and on human activities and, inversely, how human beings are changing the nature of the atmosphere and the Earth's climate WMO remains the nexus of such advances, awareness of the changes taking place, and collaboration among nations in addressing these issues. I must say that the concept of WMO includes the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of its 187 member States, its supreme body--the Congress; its executive body--the Executive Council; its scientific bodies--the technical commissions; its regional associations; and the Secretariat.

All operational, research and training activities are carried out by the members, primarily through their NMHSs and other relevant institutions.

Over the next four years, overall priority will be to strengthen the NMHSs, provide them with the necessary support, and contribute to the promotion of their image and visibility and to awareness among the community at large of their vital role as major contributors to the well-being of humanity. The success of WMO is measured, first and foremost, by the ability of the NMHSs to meet national requirements. They provide the data, forecasts, expertise and services at national and international levels, and form the building blocks and unique network on which the global meteorological edifice is built. Every Service contributes to the WMO system according to its capability, and benefits according to its needs.

Self-help or voluntary cooperation programmes seek to help meet the needs of weaker Services. A programme for the least developed countries has been launched. Greater emphasis will also be placed on capacity-building, joint programmes and strengthening of regional institutions.

In order to achieve this overarching objective over the next four years. WMO priority actions will aim at: strengthening of WMO scientific and technical programmes: closer cooperation with other organs of the UN system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, the media and the private sector; improved communication with all WMO partners; enhanced use of new technology; and a secretariat that is adapting in a proactive way to the evolving needs and concerns of Member States and the world community.

In addressing these priority areas, WMO will take fully into account the decisions, programme and budget, and the sixth long-term plan adopted by the World Meteorological Congress--the supreme body of WMO--which met in May 2003.

The scientific and technical programmes of the Organization are the cornerstone of its action and the tower of its strength. Increased focus, therefore, will be given to developing synergy among them, together with related scientific groups at the regional level Cross-cutting activities will be developed to respond to the evolving needs of members, in particular, within the context of the two new programmes related to disaster reduction and mitigation and space activities. These should also help members implement many of the policies emanating from a number of global conferences and summits, such as those on sustainable development, the information society, agriculture and environment-related conventions, including those on climate change, ozone, desertification and biodiversity.

The major areas of focus will be the wider application of science and technology for:

* Enhancing observation of the environment, including the atmosphere, oceans, polar regions and the land surface. WMO operates a unique network for real-time observation of weather, climate, water and atmospheric composition using in situ and satellite systems;

* Improving weather, climate and hydrological forecasting, enabling early warning with increased accuracy and longer lead-time for world populations;

* Addressing water-related issues;

* Ensuring the safety and security of nations against natural hazards, as well as those which are human-induced, such as nuclear and chemical accidents, pollutants and forest fires;

* Multidisciplinary research: the scientific community, through WMO technical commissions and the wider academic communities, will continue to seek to expand understanding of the atmospheric, climatic, hydrologic and oceanographic processes;

* Application of advances in understanding weather, climate and the water cycle to a wide range of socioeconomic activities, environmental protection and policy formulation in support of the various environment-related conventions, strategies and plans of action at national and international levels; and

* Partnerships of operational, research and training centres in both developing and developed countries for capacity-building.

I attach great importance to developing synergy with the relevant programmes of the United Nations system and other regional and international organizations. In the field of water, for example, greater emphasis will be placed on water-resources assessment, water-quality monitoring and hydrological forecasting, especially in developing countries. We will draw from the example of oceans, where a unique intergovernmental body, known as the Joint Commission for Oceanography Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), was established by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and WMO.

In the area of climate, we will strengthen the existing programmes and structures, and work with our partners in reducing uncertainties in climate projections. WMO will continue to give full support to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme and WMO, and will work towards enhancing cost-effective arrangements with partners having similar activities. As an example, WMO and the International Council for Science will cooperate on the organization of special experiments over the polar regions in 2007-2008.

Likewise, I plan to work bilaterally with relevant organizations and within the context of the United, Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.

At the regional level, a number of organizations have socio-economic and environmental programmes in support of their respective members, many of whom do not have a programme in meteorology and, when they do, these programmes are weak or inadequately funded. Therefore, increased emphasis will be placed on strengthening existing ones or developing new ones. This approach will complement development efforts at the national level.

An area of focus will be communication, not only with the NHMSs but also with development partners, the media, private sector, scientific community and the public at large. Relevant means, including the Internet and other facilities at headquarters, will be further developed. The Fourteenth WMO Congress in May 2003 adopted a Global Communication Strategy, which will require a significant change in the way we accomplish our tasks. I look forward to implementing the Strategy, with the support of all Secretariat staff and members. WMO will also work closely with the NHMSs and other UN organizations, which have well-developed communication strategies.

Scientific and technological advances will continue to strongly influence the development and application of meteorological and hydrological sciences. Some of the major areas relate to observation techniques and instrumentation, including remote-sensing from satellites and equipment, such as Doppler radars, automated sounding and measuring systems over land, rivers, lakes and seas; telecommunications, including the Internet; massively parallel computing systems and low-cost mainframe computers and workstations; and data handling and storage systems. The NMHSs should benefit from all these developments. For developing countries, this will be achieved through cooperative efforts, with the full involvement of WMO.

Finally, the Secretariat and its entire staff are the backbone for the successful implementation of the WMO priority actions I have outlined I will strengthen the dialogue with staff and encourage them to take more initiatives and work in unison. They should feel part of a family endowed with a mission, and should be proud to work in an organization with real global reach, taking the pulse of the Earth all the time, contributing to protect communities against the wrath of natural disasters, and drawing world attention to the state of our environment and its future evolution.

There will be transparency in all WMO actions, which will be for the benefit of its members, with particular attention to those most in need. With my background as a meteorologist and experience as Deputy Secretary-General for the last eight years, I believe that WMO will meet the challenges of the new century and continue to grow and support its members in their expectations for the well-being of their populations and the sustainable development of their economies.

Michel Jarraud was elected Secretary-General of WMO for a four-year term, starting 1 January 2004. Before joining WMO as Deputy Secretary-General in 1995, he was Deputy Director at the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (1990-1995).

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