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World Meteorological OrganizationEXECUTIVE COUNCILSeventieth SessionGeneva, 20 to 29 June 2018

EC-70/INF. 16Submitted by:

Secretary-General18.VI.2018

GOVERNANCE REVIEW

REPORT OF THE FIRST 2018 SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WORKING GROUP ON WMO STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL PLANNING (GENEVA, 11-13

APRIL 2018)

1. Opening of the session

1.1 The first 2018 session of the Executive Council Working Group on Strategic and Operational Planning (EC WG/SOP) was chaired by the President of WMO, Mr David Grimes. He opened the meeting on Wednesday 11 April 2018 at 9.30 a.m., welcoming members of the Group and observers. He recalled the tasks entrusted to the Group by EC-69 through Decision 65 (EC-69) Preparation of WMO Strategic Plan 2020–2023, Decision 66 (EC-69) Preparation of the WMO Operating Plan and Decision 68 (EC-69) WMO constituent body reform.

1.2 The Secretary-General, Professor Petteri Taalas, welcomed the participants recalling the critical tasks demanded of WMO to address climate change and disaster risk reduction, highlighting that these topics need to be taken holistically, bringing disciplines together, for the betterment for the organization, the Members and societies.

2. Adoption of the agenda and working arrangements

2.1 The agenda of the meeting was adopted as provided in Appendix I.

2.2 The list of participants is provided in Appendix II.

3. WMO strategic and operational planning, and budget

3.1 Draft Strategic Plan 2020-2023

3.1.1 The Group considered the refinements elaborated by the Writing Group and the Secretariat on the draft WMO Strategic Plan 2020-2023 based on the guidance provided by EC-69.

3.1.2 The Group confirmed that the final version of the draft WMO Strategic Plan 2020-2023 has been refined according to the guidance of EC-69 (Decision 65) and made the following recommendations:

(a) Final requirements including: to give more emphasis to Earth system seamless prediction, reflect the role of the ocean and space weather, emphasize quality management in relation with the private sector, services for health and all transport modes including land;

(b) The drafting of a concise explanatory brochure for communication to external audiences;

(c) Endorsed monitoring indicators annexed to the Plan;

(d) To submit the draft Plan to EC-70, with suggested changes undertaken under the guidance of President, for endorsement and submission to Cg-18 for adoption;

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 2

(e) To circulate the draft WMO SP endorsed by EC-70 to Members as part of the communication strategy to ensure buy-in and orientation prior to Congress.

3.1.3 Following the comments received during the meeting, the Secretariat, under the guidance of the President, effected revisions to the draft Strategic Plan and made available a revised version dated 12 February 2018.

3.2 Operational Plan and Budget 2020-2023

3.2.1 The Deputy Secretary-General updated the meeting on the state of preparation of the draft Operating Plan 2020-2023, emphasizing that the Operating Plan encompasses all WMO implementing entities: EC, RAs, TCs and the Secretariat. She presented an executive template for the presentation of the Operating Plan, focusing on its key elements.

3.2.2 The Group confirmed that this approach is consistent with Decision 66 (EC-69), and that the structure of the Operating Plan is aligned with the main structural elements of the Strategic Plan and presents all requested elements in a succinct form, and recommended the following elements for the format:

(a) Cascading elements from Long-Term Goals and Strategic Objectives to outcomes/benefits to Members, activities, milestones, biennial performance indicators related to the outcomes and risks;

(b) Information on the allocation of both regular and extrabudgetary resources (committed only, with indication of outputs) and indication of contributing programmes and implementing entities;

(c) To highlight the performance of regional activities, regional components should be incorporated in performance indicators;

(d) Responsible departments or divisions for information purpose.

3.2.3 The Group recommended that the associated reporting system (scorecard, traffic light, dashboard) on an annual basis to track progress should be developed as part of the M&E system.

3.2.4 The Group invited the Secretary-General to prepare the draft Operating Plan for consideration by EC-70.

3.2.5 The Deputy Secretary-General presented the structure of the ZNG budget for the financial period 2020-2023, organized as follows:

(a) Part I: Long-Term Goals (with associated Strategic Objectives)

(b) Part II: Policy-Making Organs (including Congress, EC, FINAC, Executive Management and External and Internal Oversight)

(c) Part III: Language Services

(d) Administration costs would be apportioned, with information available.

3.2.6 The Secretary-General outlined areas that he intends to propose for additional funding above the ZNG budget proposal: (1) private sector engagement (staffing and meeting resources), (2) urban services (air quality, disasters, climate adaptation), (3) engagement of hydrological and scientific communities in WMO activities, (4) Global Multi-hazard Alert System, (5) early warning services for international organizations, (6) strengthening of regional development and collaboration activities, (7) management training for PRs, (8) enhanced global greenhouse gas budget monitoring, and (9) Country Profile Database.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 3

3.2.7 The Group made the following recommendations:

(a) The budget should be developed in three parts as presented and contain all information as per Decision 66 (EC-69);

(b) The Group confirmed that the Long-Term Goals and Strategic Objectives of the Strategic Plan correspond to major activity areas identified in Decision 66 (EC-69);

(c) To ensure the leverage and efficient use of budgetary and extrabudgetary funding and in-kind contributions, the budgetary and extrabudgetary resources should be shown in parallel as per the budget structure and justified programmatically, which will enhance the budget transparency;

(d) The additional budget proposals should contain strong justifications, the impact of programmatic and budgetary trade-offs;

(e) Consideration be given to elaborating on the principle of “optional programmes” to attract additional resources such as practiced in EUMETSAT and ESA to support new priorities and initiatives.

4. Review of governance and programme structure

4.1 The Group considered draft recommendations and resolutions of the Executive Council and Congress concerning the WMO governance review, coded as EC-70 documents, as follows:

(a) 16.3(1) Officers of the Organization: designation of acting Third Vice-President in between sessions of Congress.

(b) 16.3(2) Executive Council: establishment of three subsidiary advisory bodies dealing with policy and strategy, technical coordination and science.

(c) 16.3(3) Regional associations: reinforcement of linkages between regional associations with technical commissions and regional economic, political and financial bodies.

(d) 16.3(4) Technical commissions and interagency cooperation with IOC: a Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Service and a Commission for Services and Applications; JCOMM programme areas transferred to the two above proposed commissions and a Joint WMO-IOC Committee on Oceanography and Meteorology for interagency coordination.

(e) 16.3(5) Special bodies: weather enterprise, climate and water thematic aspects addressed by three bodies: Weather Enterprise Forum, WMO Climate Council and Hydrological Assembly.

(f) 16.3(6) Transition plan: a formal transition plan with goals, priorities, strategies and processes in place for a successful transition, including change and risk management.

(g) 16.3(7) Communication and engagement strategy: to present the goals and benefits of the reform to internal and external constituencies and gaining understanding and support.

(h) Financial implications and costing options.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 4

(i) Programme structure: consolidation of existing programmes around six major programmes (weather, climate, water, infrastructure, research and capacity development).

4.2 The Group also examined a proposal submitted by thirteen directors of the Conference of the Directors of the Ibero-American NMHSs (CIMHET) focusing on the establishment of one infrastructure commissions and three services and applications commissions dealing respectively with weather, climate and water.

4.3 The Deputy Secretary-General compared the options of one single commission for services and applications versus three commissions for weather, climate and water against the success factors defined in the information document EC-69/INF. 16.3, section 7. The comparison showed that the single commission would be in principle more adequate to meet the criteria, in particular in relation to the Earth system approach and stronger, user- and client-oriented integrated services to better support Members’ resilience to the consequences weather, hydrological and climate hazards.

4.4 The Deputy Secretary-General presented a cost-benefit analysis of different options for policy-making organs (Congress, Executive Council and substructures, Bureau and FINAC), regional associations and technical commissions. The analysis showed possible savings generated from the proposed reform and improved session practices that could be redirected to: (a) support the participation of experts from developing countries in constituent body sessions in an inclusive and transparent way; (b) provide more support to substructures of regional associations; and (c) optimize use of Members’ experts in a more efficient and coordinated way and other benefits.

4.5 The Secretary-General presented a concept for the reorganization of existing programmes around the following main programmes: Weather, Climate, Water, Observation, Research and Capacity Development.

4.6 The Group made the following recommendations.

4.6.1 Officers of the Organization

Recommended Draft Recommendation 16.3(1)/1 (EC-70) and Draft Resolution 16.3(1)/1 (Cg-18) concerning the designation of acting Vice-Presidents in between sessions of Congress.

4.6.2 Executive Council

Recommended the concept expressed in Draft Resolution 16.3(2)/1 (EC-70) concerning the consolidation of existing EC bodies into three advisory committees covering policy, technical and scientific aspects, as follows:

(a) Policy Advisory Committee as an evolution of the WG/SOP to address policy and strategic issues based on SOP generic terms of reference,

(b) Technical Coordination Committee modelled around the current working practice of the joint meeting of PRAs and PTCs to enhance the collaboration/cooperation between regional associations, technical commissions and the Research Implementation Group,

(c) Scientific Advisory Committee composed of leading global scientists who would provide independent advice to EC and [through it] to Congress;

Recognized that more work needs to be considered in addressing concerns of mandate (terms of reference), representativeness, rotation and membership, as well as structures of regional associations, which should be reflected for consideration in the next financial period.

4.6.3 Regional associations

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 5

Recommended Draft Recommendation 16.3(3)/1 (EC-70) and Draft Resolution 16.3(3)/1 (Cg-18) concerning amendments to the general terms of reference (Annex II) of the regional associations with adjustments concerning:

(a) Importance of a consultation process by which technical commissions and regional association working structures can have common experts (item 2),

(b) The open sharing of data and expertise (item 3),

(c) Advocacy with regional entities (political and economic) and Members’ governments with regard to support to NMHSs (financial and political) (item 8).

4.6.4 Technical commissions

(a) Recalled the success factors for the governance reform laid out by EC-69 (INF. 16.3 – Section 7);

(b) Appreciates the cost-benefit analysis presented by the Secretariat;

(c) Recommends the establishment of the following technical commissions for the financial period 2020-2023:

(i) Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information System with the terms of reference provided in Annex 1 A of Draft Resolution 16.3(4)/1 (Cg-18),

(ii) Commission for Weather, Climate, Water and other Environmental Services and Applications with the terms of reference provided in Annex 1 B of Draft Resolution 16.3(4)/1 (Cg-18) and the addition of climate and water;

(d) Recognized, and would inform EC for consideration, the alternative proposal by the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of Directors of the Ibero-American Meteorological and Hydrological Services (CIMHET) (Appendix III) for three commissions for services and applications: weather, climate, water with terms of reference for each;

4.6.5 Interagency collaboration with IOC

(a) Underlined the importance of strengthening and expanding the collaboration with IOC given the critical role of the ocean for weather and climate applications and services supported by ocean observations, as well the need to preserve and enhance the collaborative work accomplished through JCOMM;

(b) Recommended the concept presented in Draft Resolution 16.3(4)/1 (Cg-18) Part B concerning:

(i) The transition of the programme areas of JCOMM to the technical commissions of WMO and relevant structures of IOC,

(ii) The establishment of the Joint WMO-IOC Committee for Oceanography and Meteorology (JCOM) as a high-level coordination mechanism with broader engagement of the key relevant bodies of the WMO and IOC;

(c) Recommended Draft Decision EC-70/16.3(4)/1 concerning the establishment of a consultation process with IOC, to be adopted also by IOC EC, to refine the concept and finalize parallel resolutions for Cg-18 and IOC Assembly.

4.6.6 Other bodies

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 6

(a) Recommended the establishment of a Research Implementation Group to replace CAS, with the terms of reference provided in Draft Resolution 16.3(5)/1 (Cg-18) with adjustments as suggested by President of CAS; the terms of reference of RIG should be in the same document as those of the technical commissions;

(b) Recommended that thematic aspects related to weather, climate and water be addressed by the technical commissions, including through the involvement of external experts;

(c) Recommended that WMO events on weather, climate and hydrology such as the example of the World Weather Open Science Conference (Montreal, Canada, 15-21 August 2014) be organized by WMO periodically as needed as forums to engage communities and external partners and shape future directions for addressing emerging challenges.

4.6.7 Transition plan

(a) Recommended the concept and outline of the WMO Constituent Body Reform Transition Plan and highlighted its critical importance for the timely implementation of the reform;

(b) Agreed with the embedded Change Management and Risk Management measures;

(c) Emphasized the need to engage the PRAs and PTCs to ensure the outreach to their respective membership;

(d) Invited the Secretary-General to finalize the draft Transition Plan for submission to EC-70.

4.6.8 Communications and engagement strategy

(a) Recommended the draft WMO Reform Communication and Engagement Strategy;

(b) Recognized the volume, as well as the urgency and seriousness, of the work needed in implementing the strategy;

(c) Invited the drafters to further refine it and synchronize with the Transition Plan;

(d) Invited the Secretary-General to submit the Communication Plan together with the Transition Plan as a “bundle” for consideration by EC-70;

(e) Recommended EC-70 to establish a group to monitor and evaluate the implementation and the impact of the Strategy;

(f) Recommended to circulate the recommendations of EC-70 on governance and programme structure in conjunction with the Strategic Plan shortly after EC-70.

4.6.9 Review of General Regulations

The Group recommended that a review be also made of the General Regulations concerning:

(a) Nomination of hydrological advisors to establish more direct links with national hydrological institutions,

(b) Flexibility in the engagement of external experts in the work of the technical commissions, including those coming from partner organizations with which WMO has formal relations,

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 7

(c) Membership of technical commissions and conduct of sessions, including more flexible definition of the agenda of the sessions of the constituent bodies,

(d) Other editorial amendments related to current practices of voting.

4.6.10 Programme structure

(a) Took note of the preliminary concept of programme structure presented by the Secretary-General, reorganized around the following main programmes: Weather, Climate, Water, Observation, Research and Capacity Development, taking into account foundation activities, applications of meteorology and supporting activities;

(b) Recommended rather than an emphasis on programmes a focus on long-term goals and foundational activities of WMO, to ensure full coherence between the Strategic Plan and the Operating Plan, with outcome-oriented and transparent budget allocations and monitoring indicators to measure results;

(c) Supported the need of the Secretary-General for flexibility in the allocation of resources based on the budget ceiling approved by Congress and the above criteria under (b).

5. Public-private engagement

5.1 John Hirst, Special Advisor of the Secretary-General, gave a presentation on public-private engagement. He informed the Group about the on-going active dialogue between representatives of public, private and academia sector in the context of the Global Weather Enterprise. A new form of this dialogue was the establishment of an informal group, the Global Weather Enterprise (GWE) Forum, consisting of four representatives from each sector – public, private and academia. WMO, GFDRR and the HMEI have been coordinating the formation of this informal mechanism and the organization of the first meeting held in Singapore on 9 April 2018 (as part of the InterMET Asia 2018 event programme). The presentation analysed risks and opportunities related to the GWE and the engagement with the private sector and provided a list of recommendations for future actions by WMO and Members in this regard.

5.2 The Group made the following recommendations:

(a) WMO to engage and lead in the proposed positions and actions in the continuation of the dialogue with the private sector, including:

(i) Make clear WMO role as representing States and not (just) NMHSs,

(ii) Recognize explicitly contribution from private sector (suggested some modifications to Geneva Declaration),

(iii) Recognize the Global Weather Enterprise (GWE) Forum as a format for coordination and cooperation with private sector and academia, with possible more formal arrangement with the other organizations (including GFDRR, HMEI and IFMS),

(iv) Encourage and enable technical commissions to use more actively private sector expertise and resources in the standard-setting process,

(v) Assist NMHSs through appropriate training how to sell value to governments and manage private sector engagement,

(vi) Set up a mechanism to support policy decisions on GWE and PPE, including management of perceptions,

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 8

(vii) Review and amend collaboration agreements with WB GFDRR and HMEI and widen the collaboration to other relevant organizations,

(viii) Communication and outreach – raise awareness of Members and improve understanding of the GWE landscape and issues.

(b) Urged awareness in the GWE discussions of the different motivations of various stakeholders, proposed modalities in service provision and their impacts on sustainability and quality;

(c) Reinstated essential responsibility – the need to sustain and develop further the global infrastructure (publicly funded); the authoritative role of the public sector (NMHS) in the delivery of services related to protecting life and property;

(d) Recognized the potential benefits of PPP in development projects funded by development institutions and donors and the need to engage WMO expertise in such projects – the co-design/co-development concept;

(e) WMO to develop further its position on engagement with non-State actors – where to put focus, identify areas of control, impact and influence; what is the value proposition;

(f) Need to further address key issues related to data sharing, related business models and data policy concerns;

(g) Promote strengthening of national legislation frameworks to define responsibilities, rules of engagement and quality assurance; particular emphasis on DRR roles.

5.1. The Group endorsed further actions aligned with the EC-69 Roadmap, as follows:

(a) Submit final draft of the WMO PPP Policy Framework for approval by EC-70;

(b) Seek agreement on appropriate policy act for recognition of the GWE and positioning of WMO (resolution or declaration by Cg-18);

(c) Submit to EC-70 enhanced working arrangements with the HMEI with specific reference to the PPP; work on widening the cooperation with other relevant organizations representing private and academia sectors;

(d) Communication and outreach - continue and lead the dialogue; support the organization of a WMO GWE event in October 2018, in coordination with HMEI and WB GFDRR;

(e) Strengthen the recognition of the “authoritative voice/source” concept - consider a proposal for a UN resolution on designation of national authority for provision of warnings in the DRR context.

6. Any other business

6.1 Role and Operation of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services

6.1.1 The Group made the following recommendations:

(a) To support the initiative of the World Bank for “NMHSs in the 21st Century” for the modernization of hydrometeorological services;

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 9

(b) To update WMO Statement on the role and operation of NMHS to reflect the importance of NMHS as the authority in supporting development projects for meteorology and hydrology operations.

6.2 Outstanding Requirements for Congress

6.2.1 There were no outstanding requirements for Congress for the Group.

7. Closure of the session

7.1 The President closed the session at 4 p.m. on Friday, 13 April 2018.

__________

Appendices: 3

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 10

APPENDIX I

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

____________________

EC WORKING GROUP ON WMO STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL

PLANNING

First 2018 Session

GENEVA, 11-13 April 2018

EC-WG-SOP-2018-1/Doc. 2 (1)

9.II.2018

Submitted by: President

PROVISIONAL ANNOTATED AGENDA

1. OPENING OF THE SESSION

2. ADOPTION OF THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA

3. WMO STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL PLANNING, AND BUDGET

3.1 Draft Strategic Plan 2020-2023

3.2 Operational Plan and Budget 2020-2023

4. REVIEW OF WMO GOVERNANCE AND PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

5. PUBLIC-PRIVATE ENGAGEMEMT

6. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

6.1 Role and Operation of NMHS

6.2 Outstanding requirements for Congress

7. CLOSURE OF THE SESSION

__________

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 11

APPENDIX II

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION____________________

EC WORKING GROUP ON WMO STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL PLANNING (WG/SOP)

First 2018 session

GENEVA, 11-13 April 2018

EC WG/SOP-2018-1(13.IV.2018, P.M.)

ENGLISH ONLY

PROVISIONAL LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Members of EC WG/SOPDavid Grimes (Chairperson)Daouda KonateAhmed AbdelaalMamadou Lamine BahAbdullah Ahmed Al Mandoos (not attending)Toshihiko Hashida (not attending)Liu Yaming (Ms) (not attending)Guillermo E. NavarroJuan Carlos Fallas Sojo (not attending)Albert A.E. MartisLouis E. UccelliniAndrew JohnsonWong Chin Ling (Ms)Michael StaudingerGerhard AdrianJean-Marc LacaveMiguel-Angel López González

Representatives/Advisors to members of EC WG/SOP

Rishi Ram Sharma representing A.A. Al Mandoos

Zhou HengYu Jun representing Y. LiuZhu Yuhue (Ms)

Yasuo SekitaYoshihiko Tahara representing T. HashidaJitsuko Hasegawa (Ms)Fumihiko Kaneko

Dilhari Fernando (Ms) advisor to D. Grimes

Courtney Draggon (Ms) attending with L.E. UccelliniDaniel Muller

Carmen Rus (Ms) representing M.-A. López González

Invited expert

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 12

Monika Breuch-Moritz (Ms) representing IOCAlbert Fischer attending with M. Breuch-MoritzJohn HirstIvan Čačić Tillmann MohrDetlev Frömming

OthersWMO SecretariatPetteri TaalasElena Manaenkova (Ms)Wenjian ZhangRob MastersStefano BelfioreDimitar Ivanov

Other Directors and senior staff for specific items as necessary

ObserversPermanent Representatives (PRs) of Members of WMO and/or their representativesMaxim Yakovenko PR of Russian Federation with WMOAlexander Nurullaev Attending with Mr YakovenkoIlia Demidov First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Russian Federation at UNOG

Phil Evans UK Met OfficeJane Wardle (Ms)

Jaegwang Won representing PR of Korea

Maria Hurtola (Ms) Head of International AffairsFinnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

Ayman Ghulam General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Maha Zeden Protection of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

H.E. Kadra Ahmed Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Djibouti to theHassan (Ms) United Nations Office and other International Organizations

in Geneva

Manuel Keller Head of International Affairs DivisionFederal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss, Zurich

Vladimir Bogomaz Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus at UNOG

Irina Divakova (Ms) Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus at UNOG

Fredrick Matwang’a First Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Kenya at UNOG

Pascal Mananga Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Congo at UNOG

Samir Rahem Attaché, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria at UNOG

__________

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 13

APPENDIX III

WILLEMSTAD DECLARATIONFOURTEENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS

OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES

Willemstad (Curaçao), 7–9 March 2018

The Directors of the Ibero-American Meteorological and Hydrological Services, meeting in Willemstad (Curaçao) from 7 to 9 March 2018,

(1) Recognize the achievements of the Ibero-American Meteorological Cooperation Programme and consider the continuation of the Programme to be of great importance for the development of Ibero-American National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in order for them to adequately meet the demands of their societies.

(2) Agree to set up an action plan for the 2018-2020 period covering three strategic areas: institutional strengthening and resource mobilization; weather, climate and water services; and education and training.

(3) Thank the WMO Secretary-General for taking part in the meeting and especially for his presentation on the WMO constituent body reform.

(4) Set out their position on the WMO reform in the Annex to this Declaration .

(5) Reiterate their concern at the decline in the use of Spanish in WMO's work, stress the importance that Spanish should have and insist on the use of Spanish in WMO documents, publications, meetings and bodies.

(6) Express their satisfaction with the second blended training course for meteorologists to meet the WMO requirements as specified in the Basic Instruction Package for Meteorologists (BIP-M), delivered by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) of Spain. They ask WMO to continue its support by providing training fellowships to fund students' participation in the classroom phase. They agree that fellowships should be granted based on the academic results achieved by students during the distance-learning phase. Finally, they call on AEMET to deliver a third course during the 2019-2020 period and on WMO to continue providing financial support for the course's classroom phase.

(7) Consider the WMO training fellowships to be an essential element in NMHS development and ask for investment in this programme to be increased.

(8) Undertake, in light of the growing demand for training and education, to co-finance, as far as possible, their candidates’ participation in the various activities of the Conference of Directors of Ibero-American NMHSs (CIMHET).

(9) Will submit to the WMO Secretariat the list of courses that CIMHET considers strategic and that are included in the 2018-2020 action plan, to ensure that they are given priority, that they are known to WMO's various departments and that funding for them is considered.

(10) Express their satisfaction with the approval by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) of the training courses proposed by AEMET within the Intercoonecta programme for the 2018-2019 period, recognizing its usefulness for the development of Ibero-American NMHSs.

(11) Thank the NMS of Argentina for the survey it conducted on training needs in the region and encourage NMHSs to complete the survey, coordinated by the

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 14

Permanent Representatives (PRs), before June 2018. They consider that analysis of the results will be an important resource for managing NMHSs and agree to use the results keeping the source confidential.

(12) Recognize the need to develop a strategic training and education plan for the region, using the capabilities of the Regional Training Centres (RTCs) and other entities with training experience in this area, based on an analysis of the results of the survey on training needs.

(13) With a view to developing a coherent regional training strategy that incorporates WMO priorities into study programmes in a cross-cutting manner, suggest that a meeting be held between coordinators of RTCs and their components, on the one hand, and the PRs of Ibero-American countries in which the RTCs are based, on the other, and call on the WMO Secretariat to actively support the implementation of this initiative in coordination with CIMHET.

(14) Express their interest in the development of the WMO Global Campus, considering that it should: involve RTCs in its development; further promote horizontal cooperation among Members; and meet needs in all official WMO languages, particularly Spanish.

(15) Express their satisfaction with the progress made within WMO in recognizing the Regional Training Centre in Spain and trust that it will be approved at the seventieth session of the WMO Executive Council.

(16) Consider that it would be extremely useful to conduct management training for managers of NMHSs.

(17) Reiterate the importance of horizontal cooperation in solving most of the problems associated with training and operational improvements in NMHSs.

(18) Recognize the importance of taking gender equality into account when planning different activities.

(19) The directors of RA III approve the conclusions and recommendations of the Technical-Planning Workshop for the Development of the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) in South America, which was held in Asunción on 2 and 3 October 2017. In particular, they agree that, before 23 March, they will appoint the representative of their respective countries to the working group that will develop the project, and call on the president of RA III to send a communication to the WMO Secretary-General requesting that he take the necessary steps to mobilize the resources needed to complete the actions set out in the report.

(20) The directors of RA IV reiterate their interest in conducting a clarification meeting via videoconference on the SWFDP, in order to decide whether to inform the WMO Secretary-General of their interest in initiating the process to implement the project in Central America and the Western Caribbean.

(21) Consider it essential to develop the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) in the region and stress the importance of supporting the programme's implementation at the regional and national levels. They support the OSCAR/Surface training course scheduled to be held in Cuba in May 2018.

(22) Express their satisfaction with the recent increase in the use of the Meteorological, Climatological and Hydrological Database Management System (MCH) at a global level and support the WMO Secretariat's initiative to ask MeteoSwiss to implement the pilot project for OSCAR's machine-to-machine communication with the MCH system.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 15

(23) Welcome the offer from the Brazilian National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) to provide NMHS technicians with training on the WMO Information System (WIS).

(24) Point out that any proposal to incorporate new observational stations into the WIGOS Programme must be reviewed first by the corresponding PR before being sent to the WMO Secretariat.

(25) Stress the importance of using standardized formats to integrate data submitted by the various networks of existing radars in the region. They call for support from the WIGOS programme in their development.

(26) Welcome the presentation made by the Organization of American States (OAS) on the Inter-American Program for Sustainable Development and express interest in the possibility of this programme, promoted by the OAS Member States, complementing the efforts made by NMHSs for the benefit of society and productive sectors, and take note of the interest expressed by the OAS in cooperating with WMO, CIMHET and the NMHSs through various initiatives.

(27) Express the need to make the political authorities aware of the socioeconomic benefits that can be obtained from NMHSs that have adequate resources. In this regard, they express great interest in the offer made by the OAS representative to hold a meeting in Washington with the various heads within OAS in the second half of 2018. They recommend that the presidents of RA III and RA IV be part of the contact group, together with representatives from the respective WMO regional offices and the CIMHET Secretariat.

(28) Consider the climate governance component of the EUROCLIMA+ programme to be extremely useful for conducting various projects of interest to NMHSs.

(29) Reiterate their support for the climate and hydrology forums of Mesoamerica and the Hispanic Caribbean, and South America.

(30) Recognize the great potential of the Ibero-American region for conducting intersectoral activities related to weather, climate, water, water management and climate change through its three related networks: CIMHET, the Ibero-American Water Directors Conference (CODIA) and the Ibero-American Network of Climate Change Offices (RIOCC). They recommend that the secretariats of the three networks continue to coordinate in order to develop joint projects.

(31) Express their satisfaction with the outcome of the joint CODIA–RIOCC intersectoral workshop on the prevention and management of extreme hydrometeorological events and measures to adapt to climate change in Mexico, Central America and the Hispanic Caribbean region, and support a similar event being held for South America in 2018.

(32) Express their satisfaction with CIMHET's participation in the Regional Platform for the Americas and the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2017, and recommend that participation in these forums continue.

(33) Express their satisfaction with the proposal on data recovery and the generation of regionalized climate change scenarios for Central America as part of the climate component of the EUROCLIMA+ programme. They express interest in conducting similar projects in other areas within the region.

(34) Recognize the usefulness of the criteria for drawing up the Strategic Plan of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Ecuador (INAMHI).

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 16

(35) Take note that the Ibero-American network for the monitoring and forecast of hydrometeorological phenomena (PROHIMET) intends to hold its next technical days in the second half of 2019 and reiterate their support for this network.

(36) Reiterate their interest in carrying out gauging courses using hydroacoustic technology and take note of the WMO Secretariat's commitment to hold the course in Peru as soon as possible after it was postponed several times and to subsequently hold a similar course in Guatemala in 2019, with interested neighbouring countries taking part in both cases.

(37) Consider the WMO Global Conference on Prosperity through Hydrological Services, which will be held from 7 to 9 May 2018 in Geneva, to be of great importance and express their intention that the Ibero-American countries be suitably represented in terms of numbers and professional qualification.

(38) Express their satisfaction with the progress made in implementing the Central American regional lightning detection network funded by the European Union's Latin America Investment Facility(LAIF) programme.

(39) Call on WMO to take the necessary steps to mobilize the resources needed to ensure financial support so that the work of the Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) in the region can continue.

(40) Reiterate their interest and support for the areas of activity developed by the Regional Water Resources Committee of the Central America Integration System (CRRH-SICA) and their contribution to the NMHSs.

(41) Express their satisfaction with the activities conducted by the western South America RCC, which help to strengthen the NMHSs.

(42) Urge NMHSs to take part in the Fourth International Conference on El Niño, which is jointly organized by the International Research Centre on El Niño (CIIFEN) and will be held in Guayaquil in October 2018.

(43) Express their satisfaction with the progress made by the southern South America RCC and support the development of an implementation plan for a drought information system for South America.

(44) Express their satisfaction with the progress made by the Centre for Climate Services for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean (CSCMC).

(45) Take note of the products available in the Copernicus programme relating to atmospheric monitoring and climate change.

(46) Reiterate the importance of strengthening activities and education in marine meteorology.

(47) Express their satisfaction with the progress made by the ALERT-AS platform in Brazil as an in-house tool for NMHSs and consider that it would be useful to implement this tool in other areas and countries, as it is being developed in Ecuador.

(48) Consider the project to develop a hydrological observation and early warning system in Ecuador to be of great interest.

(49) Agree to carry out the activities under the action plan for the 2018-2020 period, included in the Annex to this Declaration.

(50) Thank the WMO Hydrology and Water Resources Programme for its offer to support CIMHET in the delivery of the courses scheduled in the 2018-2020 action plan.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 17

(51) Fully support the candidature of the PR of Argentina, Celeste Saulo, to the position of WMO Second Vice-President, which will, among other things, ensure that the region is properly represented within the Organization's governing bodies.

(52) Congratulate the PR of Chile, Guillermo Navarro, for his election by consensus as president of RA III.

(53) Thank the representatives of OAS, the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), CRRH-SICA, CIIFEN and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for their presentations and take note of these presentations.

(54) Thank Miguel Rabiólo, outgoing Director of WMO Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, for his tireless efforts to develop NMHSs, bearing in mind the important legacy he has left in the region.

(55) Thank the Curaçao Weather Service, and especially its Director Albert Martis, for their warm welcome and support throughout this meeting. They also thank the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning, H.E. Ms Zita Jesus-Leito, for her support for and interest in the activities of CIMHET. Finally, they thank the WMO Secretariat and AEMET for their support in organizing this event.

Agree to hold the next meeting in Montevideo in the first quarter of 2019.

Willemstad, 9 March 2018

Signed:

Andrea Celeste Saulo, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional de Argentina (National Meteorological Service of Argentina)

Francisco de Assis Diniz, Instituto Meteorológico de Brasil (Meteorological Institute of Brazil)

Guillermo Navarro Schlotterbeck, Dirección Meteorológica de Chile (Meteorological Service of Chile)

Juan Carlos Fallas Sojo, Instituto Meteorológico Nacional de Costa Rica (National Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica)

Celso Pazos Alberdi, Instituto de Meteorología de Cuba (Meteorological Institute of Cuba)

Luís García Guirola, Servicio Meteorológico de El Salvador (Meteorological Service of El Salvador), DOA-MARN

José Olmedo, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología de Ecuador (Ecuadorian National Meteorological and Hydrological Institute)

Carmen Rus González, Agencia Estatal de Meteorología de España (Spanish State Meteorology Agency)

Eddy H. Sánchez Benett, Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología de Guatemala (Guatemalan National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hidrology), INSIVUMEH

Martin Quan, Comisión Permanente de Contingencias de Honduras (Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras)

Alberto Hernández Unzón, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional de México (Mexican National Meteorological Service)

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 18

Diego González, Gerencia de Hidrometeorología, Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A., Panama

Raúl Rodas, Dirección de Meteorología e Hidrología de la DINAC de Paraguay (Department of Meteorology and Hydrometeorology, DINAC, Paraguay)

Ken Takahashi, Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología del Perú (Peruvian National Meteorological and Hydrological Service)

José M. Alberto de Miranda, Instituto Portuguès do Mar e Atmosfera (Portuguese Marine and Atmospheric Institute, IPMA)

Andrés Campusano, Oficina Nacional de Meteorología de la República Dominicana (National Meteorological Office of the Dominican Republic)

Madeleine Renom, Instituto Urugayo de Meteorología (Meteorological Institute of Uruguay)

René Ortega, Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología de Venezuela (Venezuelan National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology)

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Annex: 1

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 19

ANNEX TO WILLEMSTAD DECLARATION

WMO REFORM: PROPOSAL BY THE FOURTEENTH MEETING OF CIMHET

GENERAL REMARKS

WMO was essentially created to meet the need to achieve sustainable development, to reduce the loss of life and property caused by natural disasters and other catastrophic events related to weather, climate and water, and to safeguard the environment and the global climate for present and future generations;

WMO's organizational structure must ensure implementation of the Convention, in particular the provisions of:

(a) Article 2 (purposes)

(b) Article 4: The Organization shall comprise the Congress, the Executive Council, regional associations, technical commissions and the Secretariat

(c) Article 19:

(i) Commissions consisting of technical experts may be established by Congress to study and make recommendations to Congress and the Executive Council on any subject within the purpose of the Organization;

(ii) Members of the Organization have the right to be represented on the technical commissions.

CRITERIA FORMING THE BASIS OF THE REFORM

(a) WMO needs to respond to new scientific, technological and social challenges.

(b) The new structure must increase visibility of WMO's areas of expertise.

(c) The support that WMO provides to NMHSs should be increase.

(d) The structure must ensure coordination among commissions, regional associations and working groups.

(e) The benefits of the reform for Members and society must be substantiated.

(f) Duplication among the functions carried out by existing structures should be avoided and the support provided to the Organization maintained.

(g) The need to integrate the study of the various components of the Earth's system should be taken into account.

MAIN COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSED REFORM PRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

To summarize, the proposed reform establishes:

(a) 2 technical commissions (TCs): observation, infrastructure and information management, and applications and services.

(b) The TCs are supported by permanent committees that are sector-based and not intergovernmental.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 20

(c) A non-intergovernmental scientific advisory committee and a research implementation group.

(d) A policy advisory committee.

(e) A technical advisory committee.

Areas of agreement:

(a) Reduction in the number of TCs to avoid duplication of tasks.

(b) Consensus on the need for a TC on infrastructure as a cross-disciplinary commission.

(c) Convert the Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) into a cross-disciplinary, advisory research group.

Areas of disagreement:

(a) If the work of 8 TCs is to be done by 2 TCs, this will require the creation of a number of sub-commissions in order to meet all of the strategic functions of the Organization. This would introduce an additional level of governance.

(b) It is not possible for the Ibero-American community to send delegations with sufficient expertise to cover the diverse range of topics covered by the TC on Applications and Services; this would further increase the gap between countries at different levels of development.

(c) The two proposed TCs do not offer any clear visibility regarding WMO's priority areas.

(d) The proposal presented by the Secretary-General includes non-intergovernmental structures (Forum, Conference, Assemblies and Groups) for areas that are strategic for the Organization. If these structures are not intergovernmental, it cannot be guaranteed that all Member States will be involved in implementing standards approved by Congress.

(e) The proposed structure resembles the structure of European meteorological operational entities. In this regard, it should be taken into account that WMO is not an operational agency and must maintain its regulatory character.

PROPOSAL

In light of the above and the proposals presented in various forums, the fourteenth meeting of CIMHET submits the following proposal for the restructuring of the Technical Commissions:

(a) Weather

(b) Climate

(c) Water

(d) Infrastructure and information management (cross-disciplinary commission)

Furthermore, it agrees to the creation of a cross-disciplinary, cross-cutting, advisory Research Group to replace the CAS.

EC-70/INF. 16, p. 21

With this structure, the TCs clearly reflect WMO’s strategic areas:

(a) The main responsibility of NMHSs is to protect lives and property by issuing warnings for severe weather phenomena, including the application of meteorology to aviation and maritime navigation, which would be represented by the Technical Commission for Weather.

(b) The Technical Commission for Climate would group together the activities of the current Commission for Climatology and those of the Intergovernmental Board on Climate Services, with the Global Framework for Climate Services and its applications, including agriculture and other human activities.

(c) The Technical Commission for Water would incorporate Hydrology and the Cryosphere.

(d) The Commission for Infrastructure and Information Management would incorporate the tasks of the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation and a large portion of the tasks of the Commission for Basic Systems, including the support infrastructure for hydrology and other areas, making it a cross-disciplinary commission.

This proposal is better adapted to the organizational structure of NMHSs and the areas of knowledge of experts that may represent Members on the TCs.

We consider that the proposed reduction in the number of commissions would enhance coordination between WMO's strategic areas and minimize governance-related risks.

In addition to the above, it would be necessary to hold periodic forums on WMO's strategic areas (weather, climate and water) to provide opportunities for distribution, interface and the participation of the public and private sector, academics and other interest groups.

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