WMO at COP 13 Session

COP 13/MOP 3 (3-15 December 2007, Bali, Indonesia)

The thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP13 of UNFCCC) was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 3 to 14 December 2007. The third Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MP3) was held in conjunction with the COP13 of the UNFCCC. Out of the delegates from countries 96 were from NMHSs, out of which 29 were Permanent Representatives.

In COP13, WMO presented a Position Paper on ‘Improved Decision Making for Climate Adaptation’. The paper had been circulated to all NMHSs before COP13 to assist delegates from NMHSs in the negotiation process within their national delegations to the COP session. As a follow up, WMO organized an informal meeting for the representatives of NMHSs to discuss the Position Paper. WMO made a statement on the “Role of WMO and NMHSs in the Implementation of the UNFCCC and particularly their contribution to adaptation practices and science-based decision making”. It emphasized the value of data and observation including the role of science in adaptation practices.

As part of its regular arrangements at COP sessions, WMO and BMG (Indonesian Meteorological Service “Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika”), along with other partners including WCRP and GCOS organized a successful side event entitled ‘Improved Decision Making for Climate Adaptation: Providing a Science Base’. The meeting highlighted the role of WMO programmes and promoted the understanding of delegations on improved climate observations, monitoring, prediction and services.

The COP13 culminated in the adoption of the Bali roadmap, which charts the course for a new negotiating process to be concluded by 2009 that will ultimately lead to a post-2012 international agreement on climate change. The Bali Roadmap has brought some implications to WMO and NMHSs, among which I may refer below:

Enhanced action on adaptation, which requires international cooperation to support urgent implementation of adaptation actions, including through vulnerability assessments, prioritization of actions, financial needs assessments, capacity-building and response strategies, integration of adaptation actions into sectoral and national planning, specific projects and programmes, and other ways to enable climate-resilient development and reduce vulnerability of all Parties, taking into account the urgent and immediate needs of developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, especially the least developed countries and small island developing States, and further taking into account the needs of countries in Africa affected by drought, desertification and floods;
Risk management and risk reduction strategies, including risk sharing and transfer mechanisms such as insurance;
Encouraging multilateral bodies, the public and private sectors and civil society, building on synergies among activities and processes, as a means to support adaptation in a coherent and integrated manner.

COP13 confirmed that Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change are eligible for funding from the Adaptation Fund to assist them in meeting the costs of adaptation. It decided that the Adaptation Fund shall finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes that are country driven and are based on the needs, views and priorities of eligible Parties. The Adaptation Fund will decide on projects, including the allocation of funds, in line with the approved principles and criteria.

Another decision of COP13 referred to WMO/UNEP joint body of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). It Welcomed the Report and requested the IPCC to continue to provide timely information to Parties on the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of climate change, including on mitigation and adaptation.

COP13 had quite extensive discussions on research and systematic observation and revised the UNFCCC reporting guidelines on global climate change observing systems. The COP decision mainly covered issues such as observing Essential Climate Variables, the status of the programmes for contributing observations of the essential climate variables (ECVs) to the international community. This decision brings implications to international data centres, including those with responsibility for the World Data Centres (WDCs), which may wish to report on actions undertaken to “prepare the data sets and meta-data, including historical data records, for climate analyses and re-analyses”.

In the High Level Segment of the Conference, WMO Secretary-General made a statement along with other Heads of UN Agencies and Heads of delegations of participating Parties.

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