By Ron Chen, Bureau Chief, Asia

The Regional Conference (RECO) of WMO’s Regional Association II (Asia), hosted by the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), has concluded in Abu Dhabi by issuing a high-level statement in support of the UN initiative ‘Early Warning for All’.

The statement highlighted the urgent need to build national and community response capabilities by supporting the development of national policy and legislation to ensure the mainstreaming of Early Warning, developing and advancing impact-based warnings and decision support systems for key Disaster Risk Reduction stakeholders.

The statement emphasized the need to build capacity on effective and authoritative early warnings in suitable formats, such as the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), for all key users including media and to close observation gaps to meet global, regional and national needs which is critical for predictions for all timescales.

RECO participants also reiterated their support for the further development and implementation of the WMO Greenhouse Gas Monitoring initiative as a crucial tool to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and the development of strategies for achieving net zero anthropogenic emissions.

The statement also urged the UN System’s agencies, funds and programmes, inter-governmental organizations, regional organizations, government institutions, development partners, NGOs, private sector and academia to continue to collaborate with WMO and its Member States to achieve Early Warnings for All.

Running from March 13 to March 16 2023, RECO provided a forum for the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of RA II to address the emerging issues and challenges, strengthen regional cooperation and enhance partnerships for implementation of WMO resolutions and decisions.

Director-General of NCM, and President RA II (Asia), H.E Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous,  said: “We are confident that the Conference’soutcomes and recommendations will facilitate the implementation of action plans on UN’s call for enhanced early warning systems, especially in our region which is frequently affected by a range of natural disasters due to its vast and diverse landscape.”

The Conference drew the participation of over 150 participants including the Ambassadors of RA II Asia’s 35-member countries, key officials from WMO and other UN commissions and offices and the Permanent Representatives of WMO Members from Asia.

The conference discussed an array of topics related to meteorology focusing on three segments: Early Warnings for All, Infrastructure, and Integrated Services.