Global Weather Enterprise meets in Boston

During the 100th AMS Annual Meeting there was an event, organised by the World Bank in collaboration with WMO, to discuss the Global Weather Enterprise (GWE). This is the activities by individuals and organisations to enable weather information to be created and provided to society. The aim is to take action to provide up-to-date systems that protect life, property, and wellbeing. At the meeting there was a wide-ranging discussion about the key areas of the public, private and academia engagement. Also it provided a platform to identify practical actions for the next phase of the Global Weather Enterprise Forum (GWE Forum).

The GWE Forum is a platform for consultation and facilitation between the public, private and academic sectors. The Forum comprises 12 leaders from the GWE – four each from the public, private and academic sectors. Forum meetings are open to all who wish to take part. An eNewsletter produced by the GWE Forum can be accessed at  https://www.gweforum.org/.

The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. The GFDRR is a grant-funding mechanism, managed by the World Bank. Recently the GFDRR published two reports that are of particular interest in the context of the GWE:
• Weathering the Change: How to Improve Hydromet Services in Developing Countries.
• The Power of Partnership: Public and Private Engagement in Hydromet Services.
These reports can be downloaded from https://www.gfdrr.org/en/publications.

In June 2019 the WMO Congress adopted a declaration on strengthening links between the public, private and academic sectors so that countries can better tackle the risks related to extreme weather, climate, water and other environmental events. This in known as the “Geneva Declaration – 2019: Building Community for Weather, Climate and Water Actions”. WMO’s Open Consultative Platform is a mechanism to achieve the ambition of the Geneva Declaration through an open and constructive dialogue between the public, private and academic sectors.

The EMS Annual Meeting in Bratislava in September 2020 will include a session dedicated to the GWE.

Bob Riddaway
EMS President