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Press Release No. 859

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GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE DECISIVE ACTION FOR CLIMATE ADAPTATION AT WORLD CLIMATE CONFERENCE - 3

(Geneva, Switzerland, 31 August – 4 September 2009)

Geneva, 25 August 2009 – The international community has an unprecedented opportunity to take action for adapting to current and future climate at World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3), from 31 August to 4 September 2009.  Some 1 500 policy-makers and decision-makers from more than 150 countries will interact with scientific experts to take practical steps to adapt to climate variability and change. To date, some 20 Heads of State and/or Government and about 80 ministers are expected to participate in the High-level Segment (3 - 4 September) of the Conference.

Organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and partners, and hosted by Switzerland, the Conference will translate science into actionable products that benefit all sectors of society. The overriding objective is to establish a Global Framework for Climate Services that will address the needs of decision-makers worldwide to have accurate and timely climate information and predictions. All people and countries need climate information to plan their activities now and to adapt for the future.

Opening the Conference on 31 August will be H.E. Mr Hans-Rudolf Merz, President of the Swiss Confederation, along with WMO Secretary-General Mr Michel Jarraud, and WMO President Mr Alexander Bedritskiy who will be chairing the Expert Segment (31 August-2 September). H.E. Mr Armando Emilio Guebuza, President of Mozambique has accepted to co-chair the High-level Segment.

Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will address the Conference at the opening of the High-level Segment on 3 September . United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change, Ms Gro-Harlem Brundtland, will address the Conference on behalf of the UN Secretary-General at the opening session on 31 August.

Mr Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chairman of the WMO co-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and co-winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, will give a keynote address to the Conference on 3 September.

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.

This is the third world climate conference organized by WMO. 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.

The Conference is made possible through 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, United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Media accreditation information and a WCC-3 media kit are available online: http://www.wmo.int/wcc3

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

For more information please contact:

Ms Carine Richard-Van Maele, Chief, tel: +41 (0) 22 730 8314/15, E-mail: cvanmaele@wmo.int

Ms Marie Heuzé, Senior Advisor, tel: +41 (0) 22 730 8478, E-mail:mheuze@wmo.int

Ms Lisa Muñoz, WCC-3 Press Officer, tel. +41 (0) 22 730 8213. E-mail: lmunoz@wmo.int

Ms Gaelle Sevenier, Press Officer, tel. +41 (0) 22 730 84 17. E-mail:gsevenier@wmo.int

Web site: http://www.wmo.int

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