National Center of Meteorology Highlights UAE's Efforts to Improve Socioeconomic Benefits of Weather, Climate and Water-related Services

NCM delegation participates in High-Level Regional Forum organized by World Meteorological Organization in Singapore

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 19 April, 2023 - A meteorological delegation from the UAE, headed by His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director General of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and President of the Regional Association II (Asia), highlighted the country’s efforts to improve the socioeconomic benefits of weather, climate and water-related services during their participation in a High-Level Regional Forum of the Open Consultative Platform in Regional Associations Il and V (RA Il and RA V) in Singapore on 18 April, 2023.

Organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Forum brought together the Permanent Representatives of WMO from RA Il and RA V regions that consist of East Asia and Australia, along with participants from the private and academic sectors to discuss region-specific issues, opportunities, and initiatives to enhance cross-sector cooperation and collaboration to improve the delivery of weather, climate and water-related services. Participants also explored ways to contribute to WMO’s strategic priorities in the coming years, including the Early Warnings for All initiative, which is a UN initiative for the implementation of climate adaptation.

During the Forum, His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous participated in various sessions and shared his insights and NCM’s experience on a wide range of topics including the optimization of weather, climate, and water-related services. 
The discussions also focused on identifying common interests, understanding the complementary roles and strengths of actors from the public, private, and academic sectors, exploring opportunities for partnership within the region, enhancing the collective capacity of all stakeholders to leverage resources, and sustaining quality services, among others.

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director General of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and President of the Regional Association II (Asia), said: “The participation of the UAE delegation in this important Forum reiterates NCM’s continued commitment to supporting cooperation and enhancing regional mechanisms to achieve WMO’s shared goals in the fields of weather, climate, and water-related services. At NCM, we believe that working with our partners from the public, private, and academic sectors is key to addressing the challenges of climate change and sustainable development.”
For his part, Dr Wenjian Zhang, WMO Assistant Secretary-General, expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s participation in the Forum, which offered a platform for representatives from member countries to coordinate activities and contribute to WMO’s strategic priorities. He noted that the Forum helped shape beneficial partnerships to promote continued development of weather, climate, and water-related services that are essential for the prosperity of communities. The discussions and recommendations that took place during the Forum were timely and important in building a resilient and sustainable future for the region and the world.

As the President of the Regional Association II (Asia), His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous leads regional efforts and initiatives to develop and deliver better weather, climate and water-related services within WMO’s Regional Association II (Asia) in line with the Organization’s strategic priorities. As part of his broader vision to enhance capacities and increase the resilience of communities, especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Al Mandous, who has been named by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) as the country’s official candidate for the WMO’s 2023 - 2027 Presidency, aims to engage with donor partners to ensure that the right polices, and technical and financial solutions are in place and investments in weather services are sustainable in SIDS. 

As SIDS are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events and the adverse impacts of climate change, Al Mandous has set his focus on investing in activities to maintain and restore existing weather and climate observing stations, training local staff in the maintenance, calibration and repair of equipment, and building the capacity of national meteorological services to archive, analyze and report on current weather and climate data. Such efforts are expected to lead to improved resilience and significant benefits for the citizens and economies of SIDS.