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
 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.
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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

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 International cooperation (continued)

 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)

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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
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 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)

 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

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 Office of the International Adviser to PR

 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 full-
time 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

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 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)

 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.

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 Role of INTAD to PRs (continued)
 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)
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 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.

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INTAD statistics and inadequacies
Region Members INT % INTAD %
AD INT Offices INTAD
AD Offices
I 52 31 60 12 23
II 34 23 68 10 29
III 12 7 58 3 25
IV 21 8 38 3 14
V 19 7 37 2 11
VI 50 36 72 26 52
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 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

 WMO to host 6 regional INTAD email group addresses

intad1@wmo.int, intad2@wmo.int etc A message addressed to
intadi@wmo.int 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.