Twelve international organizations providing assistance to developing countries came together at the UN Climate Change Conference today to launch the Alliance for Hydromet Development.
Members of the Alliance have committed collectively to ramp up action that strengthens the capacity of developing countries to deliver high-quality weather forecasts, early warning systems, water, hydrological and climate services. Known for short as “hydromet” services, these underpin resilient development by protecting lives, property and livelihoods.
“The science is clear: the global average temperature has increased by 1.1°C since the pre-industrial period, and by 0.2°C compared to 2011-2015,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “Ambitious climate action requires countries to be equipped with the most reliable warnings and best available climate information services. Many developing countries are facing capacity constraints to provide these services. The Alliance is the vehicle to collectively scale-up our support to the most vulnerable”.
The founding members of the Alliance for Hydromet Development are the Adaptation Fund, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Bank, World Food Programme and World Meteorological Organization.
The Alliance is open for membership to all public international development, humanitarian, and financial institutions providing assistance to strengthen developing countries’ hydromet capacity.
“Investing in adaptation planning and science is a critical precondition for peace and stability across the world. The more effective our hydro-meteorological services, the better will be our capacity to observe and predict the impacts of a changing climate and ensure effective environmental management, disaster risk reduction and food security,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director.
The World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development, Laura Tuck, underlined the important role of the Alliance.
“It’s good to see everyone formally coming together through this Alliance and committing to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries in the provision of hydromet and early warning services,” she said. “This will help ensure we are coherent, consistent, and efficient in the way we are supporting countries to prepare for climate risks and protect people.”
Members of the Alliance have committed to unite their efforts in four areas:
- First, improving systematic observations for better data by strengthening country capacity for sustained operation of observational systems and seeking innovative ways to finance developing country observations.
- Second, enhancing support for better adaptation, mitigation and resilience by strengthening country capacity for science-based mitigation and adaptation planning.
- Third, strengthening early warning systems for improved disaster risk management by developing multi-hazard national warning systems, comprising better risk information, forecasting capabilities, warning dissemination, and anticipatory response.
- Fourth, boosting investments for better effectiveness and sustainability by fostering programmatic approaches that go beyond individual projects, including systematically strengthening the World Meteorological Organization integrated global, regional and national operational hydromet system.
The actions of the Alliance to close the hydromet capacity gap are guided by the principles of UN agreements, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
