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Press Release No. 856

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EFFORTS UNDER WAY TOWARDS A GLOBAL FRAMEWORK FOR CLIMATE SERVICES

Geneva, 30 June 2009 (WMO) – The climate challenge calls for a two-pronged approach:  mitigation and adaptation. Intensive negotiations are ongoing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.  Meanwhile, the international community is developing tools for adapting to climate variability and change.  World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) to be held from 31 August to 4 September 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland, aims at initiating a Global Framework for Climate Services to boost climate adaptation.

The Framework will respond to the pressing need for society to have access to user-friendly climate predictions and information to make decisions and to better manage climate-related risks.  It will integrate climate observations, research, assessments and predictions in order to generate information and services required for factoring climate variability and change into socio-economic decision-making.

The Conference is organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) with United Nations partners and other international organizations, as well as regional and national partners, and is hosted by Switzerland. It will promote the exchange of practical solutions to address the impacts of climate now and will consider a blueprint for the Global Framework for Climate Services. Currently under consultation by stakeholders at the international and national levels, the Framework is intended to bridge the gap between climate information providers and users.

“Climate change poses unprecedented challenges for our societies, economies and the environment”, said Mr Hans-Rudolf Merz, President of the Swiss Confederation, who will be opening the Conference on 31 August 2009. “Sound planning and decision-making is more than ever dependent on sound climate information.”

The Global Framework consists of four main components: a renewed commitment to climate observations and the free and open availability of data; strengthened focus on climate modelling and prediction research; a new Climate Services Information System; and a new Climate Services Application Programme. Through these components, the Framework aims to build capacity in developing countries and to support the application of climate services for climate resilient development. The major goal is to develop an effective interface between the providers and users of climate services.

Such climate services will provide decision-makers in key socio-economic sectors – water, agriculture, fisheries, health, forestry, transport, tourism, energy, disaster risk management – with the information they need to make decisions in the face of climate variability and change. In doing so, the Framework will provide widespread social, economic and environmental benefits.

The focus on climate services builds on a strong existing foundation of climate observations, monitoring and research to apply existing scientific capabilities to rising challenges for the global society. "WCC-3 has a transformational ability – enabling society to take full advantage of climate science and meteorological and hydrological information for building green and sustainable socio-economic progress," said Mr Michel Jarraud, WMO Secretary-General.

WMO has been at the forefront of the climate agenda for the past four decades. The first two World Climate Conferences, in 1979 and 1990, were groundbreaking in their impacts, heralding awareness of climate change and new observational and research capacities to monitor and understand the climate.

 “Now, there is an urgent need for a major injection of resources into existing international climate programmes and the application of climate predictions and information through the national research and service communities,” said Mr John Zillman, Chair of the WCC-3 International Organizing Committee.  “As a mechanism to help that happen, WCC-3 is a decade overdue.”

WCC-3 will bring together high-level policy-makers, scientists, business leaders and decision-makers at the Geneva International Conference Centre. The Expert Segment from 31 August to 2 September will engage multidisciplinary scientists and experts the world-over in discussions over the current needs and capabilities for climate services. The High-Level Segment from 3 to 4 September is attracting Heads of State and Government, ministers and other senior policy-makers. The High-Level Segment will culminate in the adoption of a declaration, which is expected to endorse the Global Framework for Climate Services.

The Conference is made possible through extra-budgetary contributions to a Trust Fund and in-kind services from sponsors.  Contributions and commitments have been received from the Governments of Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Namibia, Norway, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America, as well as the European Commission, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme.

WCC-3 will mark a critical point in global efforts toward climate adaptation as the necessary complement to international negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A WCC-3 media kit is available online: here

To register for WCC-3, please see the WMO Media Advisory: here

The Statement of President of Swiss Confederation, Hans-Rudolf Merz, on the occasion of the press conference is available here.

The Statement of Daniel K. Keuerleber-Burk, Director of MeteoSuisse and Permanent Representative of Switzerland with WMO, on the occasion of the press conference is available here.

WMO is the United Nations' authoritative voice on weather, climate and water

For further information, please contact at WMO:

Carine Richard-Van Maele, Chief, Communications and Public Affairs, tel: +41 (0) 22 730 8315, fax: + 41 (0) 22 730 80 27; e-mail: cvanmaele@wmo.int

Lisa Muñoz, Press Officer, Tel: +41 (0) 22 730 82 13, e-mail: lmunoz@wmo.int

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