Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Programme

WMO DRR Projects

Through a coordinated approach, WMO is leveraging its scientific and technical programmes, technical commissions, Regional Associations, and its operational network to implement a number of projects at the international, regional and national levels.

The WMO uses a number of criteria for development of its projects in disaster risk reduction. Specifically;

• Alignment with WMO Strategic goals related to disaster risk reduction;
• Built on priorities, requirements and needs at regional, sub-regional, or country-grouping levels;
• Developed through integrated planning, budgeting, implementation; leveraging WMO and partners’ expertise and resources;
• Result-based with clear deliverables, timelines, and project evaluation and monitoring processes;
• Scalable;
• Developed with a longer-term plan to ensure sustainability of capacities overtime;
• Developed to provide end-to-end solutions to the Members leading to better decision-making capacities; and
• Properly funded through WMO and extra-budgetary resources to ensure completion, implementation and follow-up (if needed).

Project Management Framework

The WMO DRR Programme utilizes a project management framework which involves:

• Building upon regional buy-in and partnerships (leveraging);
• Scoping out of the project concept and developing national demonstration projects that include: Deliverables and timelines, Concept-of-operations, Supporting infrastructure; DRR strategy, Planning pre- and post project actions, monitoring and evaluation, and resource mobilization;
• Implementing demonstration projects (~ 1-2 years) through the building of capacities, validation of concepts and working out any problem areas that arise;
• Transiting successful demonstration projects to operations
• Planning for Sustainability of capacities; and
• Project broadening (e.g., development of new cooperation’s,  extension to additional countries, etc).

Risk Assessment

In a WMO national disaster risk reduction capacity assessment survey, conducted by WMO in 2006, nearly 90% of the countries that participated require guidelines for development of hydrological, meteorological and climate –related databases, metadata and methodologies and tools for hazard mapping and analysis to support risk assessment projects.

Currently WMO, through its scientific and technical programmes and in partnership with the World Bank and UNDP’s Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP), has initiated projects to develop these guidelines for floods, droughts, and marine related hazards including, tropical cyclones and storm surge. These projects involve:

• Development of guidelines for standardized hazard databases and metadata;
• Development of guidelines for analysis;
• In partnership with other agencies to mainstream risk assessment in sectoral planning and national policies;
• Capacity development and training of NMHS staff;
• Implementation of demonstration projects in selected countries.

Projects in Support of Early Warning Systems

These projects fall into four categories:

1) Development of standard guidelines for early warning systems with a multi-hazard approach, with an emphasis on governance (planning, legislation, legal framework, etc), organizational coordination and operational perspectives

In May 2006, following the Third International Early Warning Conference (Bonn, Germany), WMO convened the First International Experts’ Symposium on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (Geneva, Switzerland, May 2006) (MHEWS-I) , in which nearly 100 experts from the networks of 20 technical, humanitarian and development agencies participated. The MHEWS-I was co-sponsored by the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat and UNESCO.

The MHEWS-I:

• Provided recommendations pertaining to major gaps in governance, organizational coordination and operations aspects of early warning systems along the four components of early warning systems; 
• Identified criteria for good practices in early warning systems;
• Identified examples of good practices including the France Vigilance System, Shanghai Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Emergency Response Programme, Bangladesh Cyclone Preparedness Programme, and Cuba Cyclone Preparedness and Response System; and
• Recommended the need for strengthened coordination and collaboration among agencies across components of early warning systems.

Since 2007, WMO through an integrated planning approach with other humanitarian and development agencies (e.g. IFRC, World Bank, OCHA) and regional agencies, has been initiating national demonstration and pilot projects to develop, analyse and document good practices in early warning systems.

In May 2009, WMO will be convening the 2nd International Experts’ Symposium on Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS-II), to be hosted by Météo-France in Toulouse, France. Through collective analysis of lessons learned from demonstration and pilot projects, the goal of this of MHEWS-II is to develop the first set of comprehensive guidelines on governance, organizational coordination and operational aspects of early warning systems that leverages cooperation at regional, national and community levels.

2) Documentation of good practices in early warning systems.

The first International Expert Symposium on multi-hazard early warning systems in May of 2006, (held in WMO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland) recommended 4 examples of “good practices” in early warning systems, including;

1. France Vigilance System;
2. Shanghai city multi-hazard early warning system and emergency preparedness programme;
3. Bangladesh Cyclone Preparedness Programme; and
4. Cuba Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Programme.

3) Technical Capacity development for forecasting and warnings of specific hazards.

Through its scientific and technical programmes, technical commissions, operational network and regional cooperation, WMO is developing technical capacities of NMHSs for delivery of forecasts and information for a number of specific hazards, including:

• Severe weather forecast;
• Flash flood guidance system;
• Sand and dust storm forecasting system;
• Integrated marine warning system including tropical cyclones, storm surge, and coastal flooding; and
• Drought monitoring and forecasting.

4) Pilot projects on early warning systems for meteorological, hydrological and climate –related hazards.

Through its operational network, WMO facilitates and coordinates the development of technical capacities of the NMHSs forecasting and warning of meteorological, hydrological and climate –related hazards such as severe weather, droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, storm surge, heat and cold waves, etc.

Building on these capacities, WMO is initiating pilot projects to ensure effective early warning systems linking national to local levels. The goals of these projects are to strengthen operational early warning systems capacities through:

• Optimal utilization of existing technical meteorological and hydrological tools and capacities to support emergency preparedness and response operations (national to local);
• Strengthening of operational cooperation and coordination between the NMHS, civil protection authorities and agencies and other key stakeholders (e.g. Media, Red Cross, etc.); and
• Develop feedback mechanisms during and after events to improve NMHS contribution to the overall early warning system operations, coordination and planning.

The project scope generally includes:

• Scoping weaknesses of the interfaces within the operational early warning system from national to community and community back to national and plan for strengthening;
• Identification of existing infrastructure (e.g. observation, forecast, etc.);
• Identification of key stakeholders of the NMHS and their requirements and establish working relations;
• Development of products (e.g. warning messages, specialized forecasts, advisory services, etc.) that fulfil stakeholder requirements;
• Capacity building and training between forecasters and stakeholders;
• Systematic identification of dissemination infrastructure, mechanisms, and channels for distribution of products;
• Ensuring dissemination of products and services to stakeholders
• Provision of products and services to stakeholders;
• Developing clear feedback mechanisms (during and after events);
• Provision of clear and effective feedback to stakeholders to improve their planning, preparedness and response decision making; and
• Evaluation of improved system and development of a sustainability and expansion plan for the project;

These coordinated projects will involve partners at national, regional and international levels with clear roles and responsibilities to leverage their capacities for:

• Project implementation and expansion;
• Access to stakeholders and understanding of their needs; and
• Project financing.

These projects are being introduced in Central America and Africa in 2008-2009, in cooperation with NMHS, ISDR system and partners such as the World Bank and IFRC, and various regional and technical agencies. Similar projects will be underway in other regions of the world as well.

Projects in support of Financial Risk Transfer Markets

WMO and NMHSs play critical roles in supporting meteorological, hydrological and climate –related data, forecasts and analysis to support financial risk transfer markets (CAT insurance, bonds and weather indexed products). As a next step, WMO is working with it skey international and private sector partners to:

• Raise awareness on the emergence, needs and opportunities for meteorological, hydrological and climate –related data and information for development of these markets;
• Develop a joint work plan with the World Bank, World Food Programme (WFP), and the Weather Risk Management Association (WRMA), and present to WMO governing bodies for endorsement (2008 – 2009);
• Develop guidelines and standards for observing networks, products, quality assurance and service delivery models for serving these markets;
• Develop and implement national capacity development projects for the modernization of observing networks, data rescue programmes, data management and archiving systems, technical tools and methodologies;
• Work with partners on country-specific cases for the facilitation of NMHSs participation and their provision of technical advice and information; and
• Motivating coordinated climate research to address key issues that need better understanding.

Other projects and activities

WMO is finalizing guidelines on the “Role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action”. These will be available in the fourth quarter of 2008.

For more details please contact the WMO Secretariat.

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