3-2,session Iii Role Of Advisers 2008 Ven Tsui

Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V, Jeju, 28-30 April 2008 Role of Advisers on International Cooperation to Permanent Representatives with WMO

Dr Venantius Tsui Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology

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International cooperation 

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It is particularly appropriate to talk about international cooperation in meteorology because 2008 is the “International Year of Planet Earth” and meteorology is an Earth system science. The preamble of the WMO Convention adopted by Congress-XV specifically mentions the need for NMHSs to contribute to “international cooperation”. The areas of cooperation are defined in Article 2 of the WMO Convention: Purposes of the Organization. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is empowered to engage in international cooperation and contribute to global public good through the Meteorology Act 1955. 2

International cooperation (continued)  Weather,

climate and water know no political boundaries; monitoring and prediction depend on access to meteorological data from elsewhere, eg 5-day forecast requires global data as initial conditions for NWP models  The economic benefits of more accurate NWP predictions through international cooperation (to improve the accuracy & timeliness of observations in data-sparse areas) would far exceed what each country pays to WMO and VCP 3

International cooperation (continued) 

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Free and unrestricted exchange of essential data (Res 40 of Cg-XII) benefits all NMHSs, eg Australia gets 19 times the amount of SYNOPs from the rest of the world (Australian stations 5% of world total) Non-satellite operators get free satellite data worth US$100m pa Social and economic benefits vary but up to 19:1 Technical cooperation (equipment, services, fellowships) as a source of extrabudgetary funding for developing countries (3 main funding sources: government appropriation, sale of goods and services, technical cooperation with donors) 4

Partners in international cooperation  Economic

groupings, eg developing countries, developed countries, G7, Geneva Group, EU, APEC, Shanghai Cooperation Organization  Geo-Political alliances, eg ASEAN, Arab League, Francophone countries, British Commonwealth, Newly Independent States, Non-Aligned Movement  Technological partners, eg meteorological satellite operators, advanced countries, partners under WMO VCP, bilateral 5

Strategy of international cooperation Each NMHS should establish its own strategy of international cooperation. It arises out of a need to balance between risks and cooperation; in the end it is “benefits” that matters.  Strategic drivers include: - acquisition of meteorological data; - acquisition of meteorological products; - acquisition of advanced technology (transfer of technology): hardware and/or software; - for capacity building; - for funding support; - for political support. 

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Mandate of PRs (Regulation 6) 

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A PR should be the Director of the NMHS to act on technical matters between sessions of Congress. Subject to the approval of their respective governments, PRs should be the normal channel of communications between the Organization and their respective countries and shall maintain contact with the competent authorities, governmental or non-governmental, of their own countries on matters concerning the work of the Organization. PRs are the conduits for international cooperation in meteorology

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Role of PR  Deal

with all technical matters of WMO (Secretariat, Congress, EC, Regional Association, eight Technical Commissions & associated working groups, expert teams etc)  Liaise with Foreign Affairs including their Geneva mission, if any, on all political matters concerning WMO  Liaise with other national government departments or NGOs concerning WMO 8

Office of the International Adviser to PR    

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This Office may not exist in smaller countries Dedicated Office on International Affairs/Cooperation Director-General, Director, Superintendent, Advisor or Chief Professional adviser to PR who may or may not be the Head of the NMHS; PRs are changed more frequently than the advisers, so the advisers provide useful “institutional memory” Staff: 1-20 (Australian Bureau of Meteorology has 4) May include professional officers, interpreters, translators, Travel Unit managers, technical cooperation experts (some NMHSs include fulltime WMO office-bearers, eg president of a Technical Commission, AMDAR Coordinator) Although all Branches of the NMHS have some involvements in international meteorology, the International Affairs Office provides the coordination and major support to international activities 9

Role of INTAD to PRs (INTAD=INTernational ADviser) Day-to-day handling of WMO correspondence: coordinate and draft replies to be signed by the PR; facilitate communications between the PR and WMO (including its Regional and sub-Regional Offices)  Constant liaison with Foreign Affairs: - appointment of PR - credentials for delegates attending WMO constituent body meetings - voting by correspondence - voting at sessions of WMO constituent bodies - candidacies, including diplomatic notes - arrangement of Ministerial participation at appropriate WMO meetings - national positions on political issues - arrangement of support by Geneva mission 

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Role of INTAD to PRs (continued) Liaison with other government departments and NGOs: - (when hosting WMO meetings) with immigration authorities, government officials at opening ceremony - determination of membership of national delegations to WMO meetings which may include officers from outside the NMHS (eg meteorological society, private sector) - membership of WMO technical commissions and associated working groups, expert teams, rapporteurs, which may include officers from outside the NMHS - with Finance Department on assessed contribution to WMO and other budgetary matters - development of national briefs before WMO meetings - with national aid/development agency on matters related to VCP and technical cooperation - with the Hydrological Adviser to the PR

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Role of INTAD to PRs (continued)   

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As Alternate or Adviser to PR at Congress, EC (if PR is member) and relevant Regional Association sessions As focal point on international technical cooperation (including training), eg as member of IPM-VCP As project manager of technical cooperation projects, feasibility studies and needs assessments, and as lecturer on technical cooperation Focus for international development initiatives (eg MDGs) As “negotiator” on international cooperation; choice of partners Support to PR in Overseas Visits Program for NMHS Monitoring of implementation of international obligations to WMO, ICAO, IOC, UNFCCC etc. 12

Role of INTAD to PRs (continued)     

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Advice to PR on need to second officers to WMO Secretariat Drafting of correspondence with other NMHSs Drafting of correspondence with other international organizations related to meteorology Bilateral cooperation, including protocols, Joint Working Group meetings and the writing up of reports Logistics for visitors and for the hosting of WMO meetings; common problems include the finding of cheap accommodation, meeting at airports and the provision of welfare services (eg on money matters and health-related issues) Interpretation and translation service, if required Advice to PR on latest international developments (eg legal matters, enhancing visibility, understanding cultures, capacity building) Contribute to the international (global, regional) networks of international cooperation advisers/focal points (eg INTAD-VI) 13

INTAD Networks Congress-XV recommended the establishment of a global network of international advisers (INTAD); INTAD6 was established by RA VI as early as 2005  The Terms of Reference of INTAD include: - foster close international cooperation and consultation through online networking - share information on international cooperation to avoid the duplication of efforts, on success stories and on lessons learned - develop regional/global websites on international cooperation - establish a directory of experts - organize coordination meetings and technical conferences as required  WMO INTAD workshops are useful forums for the training of international advisers 

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Regional characteristics  The

status of development in meteorology differs from region to region. Each Regional Association has its own characteristics and issues; hence the nature of regional INTAD activities could be different;  Because there are no regular budget provisions by Congress for INTAD meetings, the frequency of meetings cannot exceed once per financial period; and we have to resort to extra-budgetary sources (from donor countries) to support them. 15

INTAD statistics and inadequacies Region Members INT AD I II III IV V VI

52 34 12 21 19 50

31 23 7 8 7 36

% INT AD 60 68 58 38 37 72

INTAD % Offices INTAD Offices 12 10 3 3 2 26

23 29 25 14 11 52 16

Regional issues RA II - Region of contrast in terms of technological and economic developments - Much affected by natural disasters - 9 LDCs; recent RAII projects to assist LDCs include city-specific NWP products and support in aeronautical meteorology - Meteorological satellite operators include Japan, China, India, Russia and Republic of Korea (2009) - Meteorological support to Beijing Olympics 2008 - Requires updating of needs assessments  RA V - Most are Small Island Developing States (SIDS) - Main natural disasters are ocean-related such as tropical cyclones and tsunami - Only meteorological satellite operator with products covering the Region is USA; reliant on RA II satellite operators - 4 LDCs + 2 potential Members which are also LDCs - Requires updating of needs analysis for Pacific Island Countries 

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An online systems proposal for networking 

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WMO to host 6 regional INTAD email group addresses [email protected], [email protected] etc A message addressed to [email protected] would be re-distributed to all members within Region i. (Alternative: use the free service of http://groups.yahoo.com) The host would have to update the email addresses of advisers. [Note: GEO Secretariat is already using such group addresses for online sharing within each of its Committees.] WMO to host a blog network for each region; each Member shares its VCP/TCO information via its own blog. Can use wiki websites to conduct brain-storming sessions to create collaborative projects. Go to http://pbwiki.com. See also http://wiki.ieee-earth.org used by GEO.