RA V/TCC-XIII/Doc. 8(1), p. 2

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
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RA V TROPICAL CYCLONE COMMITTEE FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH-EAST INDIAN OCEAN
THIRTEENTH SESSION
BALI, INDONESIA, 26 TO 29 APRIL 2010 / RA V/TCC-XIII/Doc. 8(1)
(21.IV.2010)
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ITEM 8
ENGLISH ONLY
ASSISTANCE REQUIRED FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME
FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Introduction

This report provides information on the progress on the development cooperation and technical assistance for TCC Members since the twelfth session of the RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean (Niue, July 2008).

2. Background - Decisions and Recommendations focusing on Region V

2.1  Twelfth Session of RA V TCC in July 2008 (XII-RA V/TCC)

Coordination within the WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme

2.1.1 The RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee at its twelfth session noted the importance of the Study on the Wind Averaging Guideline, prepared by the Systems Engineering Australia Pty Ltd (SEA) in January 2008, to the work of TCC. The Committee recommended the establishment of Wind Averaging Guidelines for the RA V/TCC where different averaging standards are currently being used, and requested the Secretary-General to finalize the SEA study as early as possible and make results available for consideration by Members at its next session.

Review of the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 Cyclone Seasons

2.1.2 Several issues are identified, including: (i) a review of the criteria to determine the transition from tropical depressions to cyclones by RSMC Nadi and some definitions in the Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan (TCOP) for the South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean would greatly increase the awareness of communities to severe warnings in RegionV; (ii) a need for adequate observations; (iii) a need to calibrate the Dvorak analysis technique for the Pacific region; and (iv) concern expressed about the media obtaining copies of the Special Weather Bulletins (SWB) from the RSMC Nadi via Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) website before they were received by Tonga Meteorological Service (TMS).

Review of the Committee Technical and Implementation Programme for the Period 2008 – 2012

Meteorological Component

2.1.3 The Committee recommended to the WMO Secretariat to explore ways to improve reporting of SYNOP and TEMP messages at the Meteorological Telecommunication Network (MTN) centres, to better reflect NMHSs efforts at the national level and between the Regional Telecommunication Hub in Wellington (RTH Wellington) and MTN centres, and to ensure that the Chairperson of the Working Group on Planning and Implementation of the World Weather Watch (WWW) in Region V (RA V WG/PIW) to participate in all future sessions of the RA V/TCC to enable the Committee to have discussions as well as to convey through the Chairperson to RA V WG/PIW the meteorology component requirements to benefit the work of both Working Groups.

2.1.4 The Committee urged WMO Members, relevant regional and international development partners to provide additional financial and other support such as spare parts and consumables to ensure continuity and long-term sustainability of the regional maintenance and technical support services currently provided through the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Ltd (MetService) with financial support from US NOAA GCOS Technical Support Project (TSP), Met Office UK Pacific Fund (PF), New Zealand Ministry of Transport (NPAC) and NZAID.

Hydrological Component

2.1.5 The Committee recommended the WMO Secretariat to explore ways to improve the reporting in order for it to be beneficial to the work of RA V/TCC members, taking into full consideration the latest information on the implementation of hydrology and water resources activities in Region V, including Pacific-HYCOS activities in each participating country and strategic linkages or/and synergy between the work of WMO Hydrology and Water Resources (HWR)) Programme and the Tropical Cyclone Programme (TCP).

Training Component

2.1.6 The Committee encouraged the WMO Secretariat to work together with the Regional Training Centre (RTC) in the Philippines to offer training courses to meet training requirements of RA V Members, including training courses in tropical cyclones.

2.1.7 The Committee noted that Fiji might require WMO assistance to fund an expert as a resource person for a Foundation Observer Course planned to be held in Fiji from mid-August to October 2008, and it encouraged its members to respond to the next WMO survey on training requirements, planned to be carried out in 2010.

Research Component

2.1.8 The Committee recommended to WMO Secretariat to find improved ways to provide complete information about research activities on tropical cyclones in Region V.

Storm Surge Watch Scheme

2.1.9 The Committee decided to form an Action Team to examine the current provision of storm surge and significant wave warning services in Region V, the suitability of those services, and to provide recommendations for improvement in the short and long term, including the desirability and implementing a Storm Surge Watch Scheme in Region V. Progress on the scheme is discussed in agenda item 7.

2.2 Sixty-first Session of the Executive Council in May 2009 (EC-LXI)

Enhanced Capabilities of NMHSs in Developing Countries, Particularly Least Developed Countries, to Fulfil their Mandates

2.2.1 The Executive Council at its Sixty-first Session (EC-LXI, Geneva, 2009) recognized the improved coordination that has occurred with the restructuring of the WMO Secretariat and the establishment of the Development and Regional Activities (DRA) Department bringing together the key WMO Secretariat Offices responsible for working with Members at a regional level on NMHS development issues.


Development Cooperation and Partnerships

2.2.2 The EC-LXI: (i) supported regional and partnership oriented approach to development assistance for improvement of weather, water and climate services and it urged the Secretariat to continue working in this way and to encourage other WMO Members to consider supporting such regional development projects through the WMO and/or bi-lateral or other mechanisms; (ii) urged the Secretary-General and Members to consider the need to enhance the capacity for project management and support of these regional initiatives within the Secretariat; (iii) called upon the Technical Commission Management Groups to assist the Secretariat in its capacity building activities; and (iv) requested the Secretary-General to pursue strategy for raising the profile of the NMHSs concerned through sharing best practices on integration of weather-, climate- and water-related information and services into national and regional development frameworks.

2.2.3 Noting further the UN General Assembly decision to convene the Fourth Conference on LDCs at a high level in 2011, the Council reiterated the need for WMO’s active participation in the intergovernmental preparatory process of the Conference, in consultation with the other UN system agencies. In this connection, the Council requested the Secretary-General to establish a Task Team on the Preparation for the Fourth UN Conference on LDCs to assist in planning, mobilizing and coordinating WMO’s efforts to support and address the substantive and organizational preparation aspects, including pre-conference events or thematic/sectoral review activities.

Infrastructure and Operational Facilities

2.2.4 EC-LXI: (i) urged the Secretary-General, Members and development partners to address these concerns by priority areas that many developing countries, particularly LDCs and SIDS, do not yet have the infrastructure and operational facilities, and human resources capacity to meet the needs of their NMHSs in terms of observing systems, telecommunications and information technology; (ii) requested the Secretary-General to continue exploring options and possible opportunities to address the issue of supply and cost of consumables, particularly for developing countries; (iii) urged Members to continue and further participate in WMO emergency scheme; (iv) requested the Secretary-General and development partners to support similar initiatives such as the Pilot Project on the implementation of an ISO recognized QMS in the provision of aeronautical meteorological services to international air navigation in the United Republic of Tanzania in other developing countries.

Education, Training and Human Capacity development

2.2.5 EC-LXI: (i) reconfirmed the designation of the training centres in Angola, Brazil, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Israel as WMO Regional Training Centres; (ii) welcomed the information that the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) had decided to join the Bureau of Meteorology in providing training fellowships to NMHSs worldwide by opening up the Australian Development Scholarships scheme to include the Bureau of Meteorology Training Centre as a provider for postgraduate training in meteorology under its Graduate Diploma in Meteorology Course; (iii) requested the Secretary-General to provide further information regarding the resource impact on developing countries and LDCs of implementing the recommendations from the EC Panel Task Team on Aviation Forecaster Qualifications and to make allowances for these resource impacts in the budget preparations for the next financial period; (iv) encouraged Members to explore the possibility of providing opportunities for the director-level executives of NMHSs; and (v) reaffirmed the need for sustainable training efforts especially for SIDS and LDCs to allow them to achieve skills and competencies required for effective operational tropical cyclone forecasting and warnings for minimizing tropical cyclone disaster risks and requested the Secretariat to include forecasters from all affected regions in future training of this nature.

Enhancing Voluntary Cooperation Activities

2.2.6 The Council urged Members to join, continue and increase their support to VCP(F) and VCP(ES) to complement broader development activities; (ii) agreed that the VCP mechanisms should be thoroughly reviewed by DRA with the assistance of the IPM; and (iii) requested the Secretary-General to look at innovative ways to strengthen the capacity building activities of the WMO over the next biennium with a view to presenting a new concept of effective development assistance to the World Meteorological Congress in 2011.

Advancing the Quality, Use and Access to Operational Weather Forecasts and Warnings

Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP)

2.2.7 EC-LXI noted that planning had commenced for the organization of a Severe Weather Forecasting and Disaster Risk Reduction Demonstration Project (SWFDDP) in Region V, and the Sever Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) framework represents a systematic approach for building capacity and for transferring knowledge and skills to NMHSs, especially those of developing countries.

2.2.8 The Council encouraged the use of SWFDP as a framework or project development process for regionally-driven initiatives to enhance observational systems and to improve the capability and capacity of Members in the production of forecasts and warnings, for multi-hazard disaster risk reduction and service delivery, and where appropriate, SWFDP to facilitate cross-programme coordination or project integration as a means of increasing the overall effectiveness of results.

2.2.9 The Council noted that the fourteenth session of the Commission on Basic Systems (CBS-XIV) had recognized that funds necessary to extend existing SWFDP projects and to commence new projects were very limited, and thus urged Members to seek funds from potential development partners and other agencies that stand to benefit from the important results of SWFDP.

Support to Operational Tropical Cyclone Forecasting

2.2.10 The Council reaffirmed the use of ensemble techniques including multi-model consensus forecasting by national and regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs), underlined ensemble-based probabilistic guidance to improve the representation of forecast uncertainty, which will be especially useful for disaster risk management in threatened areas, and it requested the Secretary-General to organize technical training workshops on Ensemble Prediction System (EPS).

2.2.11 The Council recognized the need for more research and development for the combined use of deterministic and EPS-based products to help Members in their risk assessment at an early stage in forecasting, and to improve decision making processes for disaster risk management. It encouraged the use of relevant meetings of regional associations and regional tropical cyclone committees as opportunities for researchers to exchange their views and expertise with other researchers, operational forecasters and managers.

2.2.12 The Council also recognized the need to enhance support to forecasters to optimize the efficiency of warning services and develop operational strategies to meet the growing demands from the users, and it requested the Secretary-General to revise and update the Global Guide to Tropical Cyclone Forecasting and link it to the Tropical Cyclone Forecaster’s website.

Cooperation among Technical Commissions

2.2.13 The Council emphasized the importance of cooperation between technical commissions to benefit the capabilities of Members to produce better forecasts and warnings, and also to support improving climate information and prediction services.

2.2.14 The Council noted that GDPFS, implemented through CBS, prepared a wide variety of products supporting both weather and climate services through the provision of forecasts, warnings, climate analyses/monthly and seasonal outlooks, and it encouraged CBS and the Commission for Climatology (CCl) to work together with regional associations to accelerating the expansion of Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) network and the support to the climate services capability delivered through the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) (i.e., Global Producing Centres for Long-Range Forecasts).

2.2.15 The Council emphasized the importance of the contributions of: (i) the Commissions for Atmospheric Science (CAS) in relation to nowcasting, forecast verification, probabilistic forecasting methods as applied to severe weather; (ii) the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM) in relation to aviation weather forecasting; (iii) the Joint Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) to promote the implementation of specialized numerical prediction capabilities for met-ocean forecasting, including for waves and storm surge, such as the SWFDDP for the South Pacific Islands; and (iv) the Commission for Hydrology (CHy) for improving hydrological forecasting, such as close coordination of the implementation of the Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) with SWFDP.

3. Progress since July 2008

3.1 Regional Office for Asia and South-West Pacific and WMO Office for the South-West Pacific (Apia)

3.1.1 The Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific and the WMO Office for the South-West Pacific in Apia (Samoa) operate as an integral part of WMO Secretariat and in close collaboration with WMO technical and scientific departments and Members; (i)to provide support to the president and vice-president of RA V, Working Groups and rapporteurs, and to follow up matters pertaining to the Association on behalf of the president; (ii) to provide technical assistance and advice to concerned Members of RA V in developing and implementing technical cooperation projects and regional development strategy, including the Strategic Plan for the Enhancement of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in RA V, the development of national strategic plans for Kiribati and Vanuatu Meteorological Services, and the implementation of the Pacific SIDS LRIT project; (iii) collaboration with UN system in Apia, Port Moresby and Suva and regional organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Sub-Committee on Meteorology and Geophysics (SCMG), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the Pacific islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).