2nd Session of the Executive Council Working Group on disaster risk reduction and service delivery

The second session of the Executive Council Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Service Delivery (EC-WG DRR & SD) will be opened by its Chairperson, Dr John L. Hayes, at 09.00 hours on Wednesday, 24 February 2010, at the WMO Headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Secretary-General of WMO, Mr Michel Jarraud, or, should he be unavailable, his representative will address the opening.

1.2. Adoption of the agenda

The Chairperson will invite the Working Group to consider the provisional agenda, with the view to its adoption. The Chairperson may seek clarification from participants on the format in which they wish that the final report should be prepared. In the interests of efficiency, the Working Group might consider a report that comprises of only the key conclusions, recommendations and the follow-up actions.

1.3. Working arrangements

The Working Group will agree on the details concerning the organization of its work, including the working hours and any other practical session arrangements. The Chairperson or any other members of the Working Group may request the consideration of additional issues. In that case, they will be requested to prepare the relevant documentation and submit it to the Secretariat in due course.

2. Review of outcomes from the first session of the WG and follow-up actions

The first session of the Executive Council Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Service Delivery was held at the WMO Headquarters, in Geneva, from 19 to 21 March 2009. Major issues discussed include: (1) the review of its terms of reference, noting the role and functions of the Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction Services (WDS) Department; (2) the DRR Programme strategy and implementation framework; (3) service delivery activities and related strategic issues, including an outline for a policy framework for service delivery; and (4) cooperation with private sector. The Working Group will review the outcomes from the first session on these issues with particular emphasis on follow-up actions that have been or may need to be initiated.

3. Introduce and review the WMO policy framework for service delivery

Noting that there was no WMO standard structure for Service Delivery, the Working Group, at its first session (March 2009), developed an outline of a policy framework for service delivery to be further developed and expanded. The Working Group will be presented with and review the WMO Policy Framework for Service Delivery, which has accordingly been developed by the Secretariat in consultation with members of the Working Group. The framework aims to guide NMHSs in the provision of warning and advisory services that incorporate fully user needs and performance metrics, in accordance with the WMO Strategic Plan.

4. Global framework for climate services (GFCS)

4.1 Review of outcomes from the WCC-3, the Intergovernmental Meeting for the High-level Taskforce on the GFCS, including discussion of the service delivery component of the GFCS and follow-up actions

Representatives from more than one hundred countries, as well as from non governmental and intergovernmental organizations, met in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 and 12 January 2010 to follow-up on the decision by World Climate Conference-3 (Geneva, Switzerland, 31 August - 4 September 2009) by approving the terms of reference for, and endorsing the composition of, a High-Level Taskforce (HLT) of independent advisors that will prepare a report for consideration by Congress in May 2011. The report of the HLT will recommend, inter alia, the components required for a GFCS, the roles, responsibilities, and capabilities of the elements within the GFCS. The report should also clearly illustrates how the GFCS will assist the integration of climate information and services into national planning, policy and programmes for among others, water resource management and development, health and public safety, energy generation and distribution, agriculture and food security, land and forestry management, desertification, eco-system protection, sustainable development and poverty reduction, taking into account the special needs of Africa, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Land-Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs). The Working Group is invited to note and comment the developments in the follow-up to WCC-3 as appropriate.

4.2 Overview of how WMO programmes may contribute to the GFCS, including proposed WDS activities in support of the service delivery component of the GFCS

The WG will be presented with a brief report on how WMO programmes may contribute to the GFCS. In addition, WDS has provided a draft plan of activities that could be undertaken in support of the services component of the GFCS that will be subject to an internal review before the Secretary-General submits his proposed 2012 – 2015 Budget to Cg-XVI in 2011. The Working Group is invited to provide advice on this plan.

5. Strategic issues of DRR and SD development in the WMO, including impacts of WMO programmes in DRR AND SD

5.1 Overview of the Tropical Cyclone Programme (TCP), its impact in DRR through improved SD, and future directions

The development of national and regionally coordinated systems for the detection, monitoring, forecasting and warning of tropical cyclones is one of the primary objectives of the WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme. The TCP comprises two components: (1) a general component concerned with collective issues such as methodology and transfer of technology; and (2) a regional component devoted to the activities of five regional tropical cyclone bodies. Each of the regional TCP bodies has in place a formally adopted tropical cyclone operational plan or manual, aimed at ensuring the most effective tropical cyclone forecasting and warning system with existing facilities, through cooperative agreement on sharing of responsibilities and on coordinated activities within the respective region. Each of these bodies gives attention to the implementation of their technical plan for future development and delivery of services to meet regional needs for upgrading forecasting and warning facilities and services for tropical cyclones and associated floods and storm surges, as well as for related disaster risk reduction measures and supporting activities in training and research. An important element of the TCP is the regular training activities, which it carries out in close collaboration with Public Weather Services (PWS) and Marine Meteorology and Oceanography (MMO) programmes, in all the tropical cyclone affected regions. Collaboration with the World Weather Research programme (WWRP) to promote the transfer of research outcomes into operational forecasting should be also underlined. The Working Group is invited to review the TCP-related activities with the view to evaluate their impacts in DRR and SD. It is also invited to provide guidance to the Secretary-General and the Executive Council on dealing with the strategic issues confronted by the TCP-related activities.

5.2 Overview of the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP), lessons learnt and opportunities for the future

The SWFDP commenced with its first project in southeast Africa in 2006. Early successes were noted by the WMO Fifteenth Congress (2007), which requested the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) to expand the southern Africa project and to consider implementing other SWFDP projects in other regions. At the request of CBS, PWS has been incorporated into the SWFDP as the mechanism for service delivery and DPFS and PWS programmes work closely together on SWFDP. In 2008, the SWFDP – Southern Africa project expanded to include all 16 countries of the region, while planning commenced for another project for the South Pacific Islands in 2009. The latter initiative, which focuses on forecasting and warning services in relation to heavy rain, strong winds, and damaging waves for four Island States (Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu), commenced implementation of its pilot phase in November 2009. Other possible regional projects are being considered.

The SWFDP framework represents a systematic approach for building capacity and for transferring knowledge and skills to NMHSs, especially to forecasters of developing countries, including many LDCs, and has demonstrated a number of advantages for improving the production of weather forecasts and warnings, and the delivery of weather services, and thereby contributing to DRR. The Working Group is invited to provide guidance to the Secretary-General and the Executive Council on dealing with the strategic issues confronted by the SWFDP activities.

5.3 Overview of the role and impacts of other WMO programmes, technical commissions and regional associations in DRR and SD

Traditionally the WMO’s technical Departments (such as WDS and its predecessors) have relied on the Technical Commissions (such as CBS, CAeM, CMM/JCOMM) to achieve the implementation of global outcomes. With the increase in the number of cross-cutting issues that affect a number of Commissions (e.g. quality management; weather, climate and water service delivery; disaster risk reduction) and the implementation of results-based budgeting, the close alignment of; technical challenges to WMO technical departments to WMO Technical Commissions has been broken down. The Working Group is requested to consider this issue in the light of outcomes from the 2010 meeting of the Presidents of Technical Commissions and advise the Executive Council of any opportunities they might identify to improve the achievement of DRR- and service delivery-related technical aspects of the WMO Expected Results.

6. Overview of the draft DRR and SD budget proposal 2012-15

WDS has provided a draft plan of activities that would be undertaken in support of programmes currently managed by the Department. These proposals will be subject to internal review before the Secretary-General submits his proposed 2012 – 2015 Budget to Cg-XVI in 2011. The Working Group is invited to provide advice on these proposals.

7. Work plan of the EC WG DRR & SD through to Cg-XVI

The Working Group should note that there is no provision for further meetings of the WG except those that could be held in conjunction with EC-LXII, in June 2010.

8. Any other business

The Working Group may consider any other matters requiring actions or discussion by the Group.

9. Closure of the session

The second session of the Executive Council Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and Service Delivery is scheduled to close at 17:00 on Friday, 26 February 2010.