Provisional annotated agenda
1. Agenda and organization of the session
1.1 Opening of the session
The eighteenth session of the World Meteorological Congress will open on Monday, 3 June 2019 at 10 a.m. in the International Conference Centre – Geneva (CICG), 17 rue de Varembé, Geneva.
1.2 Approval of the agenda
In accordance with General Regulation 139, the provisional agenda will be submitted to Congress after the opening of the session for approval. The agenda may be amended by Congress at any time during the course of the session.
1.3 Establishment of committees
Congress will work in plenary throughout the session. The Credentials Committee, Nomination Committee and Coordination Committee will be established in accordance with General Regulations 23-27. Congress may establish other committees for in-depth consideration of specific decisions, such as the Committee on strategic plan and budget 2020-2023, the Committee on constituent body reform, the Committee on public-private engagement and other committees [to be decided by Congress].
1.4 Programme of work
Congress will agree upon working hours of the meetings (9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. on 5-7 June and 9.30 a.m.–12.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m.-5.30 p.m. on the other days) and upon programme of work for the session (the tentative workplan is provided on the Congress website); it will be adjusted by the Coordination Committee, as necessary, during the session, and will be provided online and in the daily order of business.
1.5 Records
In accordance with General Regulation 112, decisions adopted by Congress shall be recorded in the final report of the session and published by the Secretariat after the session. Information documents and statements shall also be included in the final report. Summarized minutes of the discussion at plenary meetings shall be prepared by the Secretariat only where there is a specific request from the plenary. Audio recordings of plenary meetings shall be made and retained for record purposes.
2. Reports
2.1 Report by the President of the Organization
2.2 Report by the Secretary-General
2.3 Reports by presidents of regional associations
2.4 Reports by presidents of technical commissions
The reports of the President of WMO, the Secretary-General, presidents of regional associations and technical commissions will highlight progress in the implementation of the Congress decisions by constituent bodies of the Organization and the Secretariat. Congress will deal with the recommendations of regional associations and technical commissions formulated after the last session of the Executive Council under the respective agenda items.
3. Strategic Plan and Budget 2020-2023
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the WMO Strategic Plan and the maximum expenditure for the eighteenth financial period (2020–2023) on the recommendation by the Executive Council. The following resolutions are submitted:
(a) WMO Strategic Plan (as per Recommendation 20 (EC-70)),
(b) Maximum expenditure for the eighteenth financial period (2020–2023) (as per Recommendation 21 (EC-70), based on the Strategic Plan and the Operating Plan 2020-2023 (Cg-18/INF. 3.1)), and Use of cash surplus arising from the seventeenth financial period.
4. Governance review
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt a set of resolutions defining the constituent bodies for the eighteenth financial period on the recommendation by the Executive Council:
(a) Officers of the Organization (as per Recommendation 22 (EC-70)),
(b) WMO Executive Council (as per Recommendation 23 (EC-70)),
(c) WMO regional associations (as per Recommendation 24 (EC-70)),
(d) Establishment of WMO technical commissions and other bodies for the eighteenth financial period, including Technical Commissions, Joint WMO-IOC Advisory Board, the Research Board and the Scientific Advisory Panel (as per Recommendation 25 (EC-70)).
These decisions of Congress will also be informed by the recommendations of the Executive Council Working Group on Strategic and Operational Planning (EC/WG-SOP), regaining the adjustments to the above resolutions as requested by the Executive Council, as well as by the report of the Executive Council Task Force on the WMO Constituent Bodies Reform (CBR-TF) that oversees the implementation of the WMO Constituent Bodies Reform Transition Plan and Communication Strategy established by Resolution 36 (EC-70).
Reference is also made to the amendments to the General Regulations related to the governance reform, submitted under item 9.3.
5. Weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services
5.1 Multi-hazard early warning systems
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by, or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) WMO approach for the cataloguing of hazardous weather, climate, water and space weather events (as per Recommendation 1 (EC-70)),
(b) WMO Global Multi-hazard Alert System (GMAS) (as per Decision 4 (EC-70)),
(c) Standard operating procedures for disaster risk management at the national level,
(d) WMO coordination mechanism to support the United Nations and other organizations’ humanitarian activities (as per Decision 5 (EC-70)),
(e) Drought management (as per Resolution 14 (EC-70)),
(f) Strengthening multi-hazard early warning services in areas prone to severe weather, coastal and flash floods (as per Resolution 1 (EC-70), Resolutions 12 and 16 (EC-70) and recommendations of the assessment of the three projects: SWFDP, CIFDP and FFGS).
5.2 Climate information and services
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) WMO contributions to the provision of climate information and services in support of policy- and decision- making (as per Recommendation 3 (EC-70)),
(b) Implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) (as requested by Resolution 4 (EC-70)), based on the GFCS mid-term review findings and subsequent recommendations by the IBCS Management Committee and EC/WG-SOP),
(c) Manual on High-quality Global Data Management Framework for Climate (as per Recommendation 2 (EC-70)),
(d) WMO mechanism for the recognition of long-term observing stations (based on Decision 40 (EC-68), Decision 9 (EC-69) and Resolution 8 (EC-70)).
5.3 Hydrological services and support of sustainable water management
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) WMO vision and strategy for hydrology and integration of hydrological activities into the new WMO structure (requested by Resolution 18 (EC-70)), considering the outcomes of special dialogue on water at EC-70, based on the recommendations of the EC Task Force on Water, the extraordinary sessions of the Commission for Hydrology (CHy-Ext. (2019)) and the EC/WG-SOP),
(b) Hydrology and water resources major initiatives (as per Resolutions 16 and 18 (EC-70)), including WMO Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS), Global Hydrometry Support Facility (HydroHub), the World Water Data Initiative (WWDI) and the Flood Forecasting Initiative (FFI).
5.4 Weather information and services
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions developed upon the request of the Executive Council and recommendations by the technical commissions:
(a) Recommendations of the sixteenth session of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (as per CAeM-16 report),
(b) Long-term plan for aeronautical meteorology (as recommended by CAeM-16),
(c) Integrated and innovative impact-based forecasting and warning services (as per Decision 4 (EC-69), Decision 12 (EC-70) and recommendations of CBS),
(d) Strengthening marine and coastal services of Members, including cost recovery mechanism (as per Resolution 11 (EC-70) and Decision 49 (EC-68)).
5.5 Integrated weather, climate, hydrological and environmental services
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Integrated urban services (as per Decision 7 (EC-70)),
(b) Integrated health services: a five-year programme of work on climate, environment and health (as per Resolution 3 (EC-70)).
6. Earth system observations and predictions
6.1 WMO Integrated Global Observing System
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council and technical commissions:
(a) Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) (as per Recommendation 5 (EC-70)),
(b) Vision for WIGOS in 2040 (as per Recommendation 6 (EC-70)),
(c) Operational Phase of WIGOS (as per Recommendation 7 (EC-70)),
(d) Amendments to the WMO Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I and the Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160) (as per Recommendation 7 (EC-70)),
(e) WIGOS Station Identifiers (as per Decision 15 (EC-70)),
(f) Establishment of collaboration between the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and WMO on the operation and development of the WMO Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay Programme (as per Recommendation 9 (EC-70)),
(g) Members’ contribution to the actions specified in the Implementation Plan for the Evolution of Global Observing Systems in the context of the future WMO Integrated Global Observing System Implementation Plan (as per Recommendation 10 (EC-70)),
(h) Use of the Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool/Surface for the collection and recording of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System metadata (as per Recommendation 11 (EC-70)),
(i) Joint WMO and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Strategy for Marine Meteorological and Oceanographic Data Management (2018–2021) (as per Recommendation 8 (EC-70)),
(j) Ensuring adequate marine meteorological observations and data coverage for the safety of navigation and the protection of life and property in coastal and offshore areas, (as per Recommendation 14 (EC-70)),
(k) Future Collaboration Between WMO and IOC Regarding Facilitating the Making of Oceanographic Observations in Coastal Regions in Support of Earth System Prediction and Climate Services (as per Recommendation 14 (EC-70)),
(l) Ocean observations in support of Earth System Prediction and WMO support to GOOS Strategy 2030, including Tropical Pacific Observing System 2020 (as per Recommendation 13 (EC-70)),
(m) Radio frequencies for meteorological and related environmental activities (as per Recommendation 12 (EC-70)),
(n) Report of the Seventeenth Session of the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO-17),
(o) WMO Polar and High Mountain Collaborative Framework (as per Recommendation 16 (EC-70)),
(p) Pre-operational Phase of the Global Cryosphere Watch (as per Recommendation 17 (EC-70)),
(q) Status of the Architecture for Climate Monitoring from Space (as per Decision 35 (EC-70)),
(r) VLab Strategy 2020-2024 (as per Decision 49 (EC-70)),
(s) Four-Year Plan for WMO Activities Related to Space Weather 2020-2023 (as per Decision 41 (EC-70)),
(t) Implementation Plan of the Space-Based Weather and Climate Extremes Monitoring Regional Operational Subproject in East Asia and Western Pacific Watch (as per Decision 36 (EC-70)).
6.2 WMO Information System
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Emerging data issues (CBS-led review) (as per Decision 25 (EC-70)),
(b) Amendments to the WMO Technical Regulations Volume I Part VII (QMF) (WMO-No. 49) to include generic audit processes, the Manual on the WMO Information System (WMO-No. 1060), the Guide to the WMO Information System (WMO-No. 1061), and the Manual on Codes Volume I.3 (WMO-No. 306) (as per Decision 17 (EC-70)),
(c) WMO Information System 2.0 (as per Resolution 23 (EC-70) and Decision 18 (EC-70)) and WIS 2.0 implementation mechanisms for provision of shared services (as per Decision 19 (EC-70)).
6.3 WMO Global Data Processing and Forecasting System
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Seamless Global Data Processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS) Implementation Plan (as per Recommendation 15 (EC-70) and Decision 4 (EC-70)),
(b) Amendments to the Manual on the Global Data-processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS) (WMO-No. 485) (as per Resolution 5 (EC-70)).
7. Earth system research
7.1 Scientific knowledge of the Earth system
7.2 Science for service and predictive capabilities
7.3 Science for policy
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Future WMO research and supporting activities (as per Recommendation 18 (EC-70)),
(b) Integrated and coordinated WMO research to serve society (as per Recommendation 18 (EC-70)),
(c) A seamless research structure for WMO (as per Recommendation 18 (EC-70)),
(d) Seamless regional research for water (as per Recommendation 18 (EC-70)),
(e) Creating an environment for innovation and its optimal resourcing (as per Recommendation 18 (EC-70)),
(f) WMO support to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change activities (as per Decision 6 (EC-70) and IPCC Chair report),
(g) The Ocean and WMO, (as per Decision 54 (EC-70)) and outcome of the Ocean dialogue held during Congress).
8. Capacity development
8.1 Capability to provide and utilize essential services
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
Capability to provide and utilize essential services - creating an enabling environment (including directions for the implementation of WMO Capacity Development Strategy, Members capabilities knowledge platform in the Country Profile Database, NMHSs strategic plans as a legislative instrument for improving services, amendment of rules for the Voluntary Cooperation Programme and role and operations of WMO Regional Offices).
8.2 Core competencies and expertise
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Education and training programme and delivery mechanism including:
(i) Formal education through fellowships activities,
(ii) Continuing education through training activities and fellowships,
(iii) Advisory services to enhance human resources development,
(iv) Bringing new science and relevant methodologies into education and training curricula, such as developments in the fields of air quality forecasting, climate change, NWP,
(v) Leadership and management development training,
(vi) Amendments to the Manual on Policies and Procedures for WMO Fellowship and Training (WMO/TD-No. 1356),
(b) WMO Global Campus Initiative (as per Decision 48 (EC-70)),
(c) Updated Competency Framework for Public Weather Service Delivery (including DRR services related elements),
(d) Strengthening the Capacity of NMHSs in Marine Meteorology Service Delivery (as per Resolution 11 (EC-70)).
8.3 Scaling-up effective partnerships for investment
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
(a) Establishment of an Alliance for Hydrometeorological Development (in collaboration with the World Bank and international development partners, as a collective commitment for coordinated and sustainable investments at a scale to better support developing Member countries and territories),
(b) Establishment of the Country Support Initiative (to support developing Member countries and territories and development partners in increasing effectiveness of investments in weather, climate and hydrological services. The Country Support Initiative will be an integral part of the Alliance for Hydromet Development and complement and leverage funding from development partners and other initiatives, including CREWS and existing WMO country support mechanisms).
9. Policy, legal, oversight, financial and staff matters
Congress will be invited to consider and adopt the following resolutions recommended by or developed upon the request of the Executive Council:
9.1 Questions concerning the Convention
No decision required at this point of time.
9.2 Membership of the Organization
The Congress welcome to the new Members of the Organization is recorded in the general summary (page 2 of this document).
9.3 Amendments to the General, Technical, Financial and Staff Regulations
(a) Amendments to the General Regulations (as per Resolution 36 (EC-70), with recommendation by the EC/WG-SOP on the request by the Executive Council),
(b) Enhanced framework for the WMO Technical Regulations (as per Recommendation 28 (EC-70)),
(c) Amendments to the Financial Regulations (as per Recommendation 27 (EC-70)),
(d) Amendments to the Staff Regulations (as per Resolution 38 (EC-70)).
9.4 Public-private engagement and other policy matters
(a) Adoption of a Congress Declaration “Building Community for Weather, Climate and Water Actions” on cooperation between public, private and academic sectors, as well as civil society (as per Decision 51 (EC-70)),
(b) Establishment of an Open Consultative Platform “Partnership and Innovation for the Next Generation of Weather and Climate Intelligence” (outcome of the public-private dialogue held during Congress),
(c) WMO mandatory publications and distribution policy for the eighteenth financial period (as per Recommendation 19 (EC-70)),
(d) Provisional programme of sessions of constituent bodies for the eighteenth financial period (as per Reform Transition Plan timeline, Cg-18/INF. 4(1)).
9.5 Gender equality
Implementation of WMO Gender Equality Policy and Gender Action Plan (as per Decision 55 (EC-70)).
9.6 Oversight
Congress will receive reports and consider recommendations (under relevant agenda items) of the oversight bodies: Financial Advisory Committee (FINAC), the WMO Audit Committee, the External Auditor, the Internal Oversight Office and the Joint Inspection Unit.
9.7 Financial matters
(a) Assessment of proportional contributions of Members for the eighteenth financial period,
(b) Working Capital Fund.
9.8 Staff matters
(a) Secretary-General’s contract,
(b) 2019 WMO staff survey.
9.9 Review of previous resolutions of Congress
Review of previous resolutions of Congress (implementation of Resolutions will also be referred to in the report of the WMO President and the Secretary-General).
10. Elections and appointments
10.1 Appointment of the Secretary-General
10.2 Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Organization
10.3 Election of members of the Executive Council
10.4 Election of presidents and vice presidents of technical commissions [to be decided by Congress]
The outcomes of elections and appointments will be recorded in a Resolution.
11. Date and place of next Congress
Congress will consider holding an Extraordinary session in 2021 (as per Recommendation 26 (EC-70)).
12. Closure of the session
As decided by the Executive Council (Decision 59 (EC-70)) the session is tentatively scheduled from 3 to 14 June 2019; 15 June 2019 has been reserved for outstanding items.
