Scientific Advisory Panel

Scientific Advisory Panel

The Scientific Advisory Panel shall draw up opinions and recommendations to Congress and to the Executive Council on matters concerning WMO research strategies and the optimal scientific directions to support the evolution of its mandate in weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences.

Chair: Gilbert Brunet (Australia)

Vice-Chair: Opha Pauline Dube (Botswana)

 

The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) draws up opinions and makes recommendations to Congress and to the Executive Council on matters concerning WMO research strategies and the optimal scientific directions to support the evolution of its mandate in weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences. The Panel shall provide forward-looking strategic advice on emerging challenges and opportunities, and in particular:

  1. Advise on areas in which, on the basis of available evidence, new technological and scientific advancement would lead to new applications related to WMO core activities
  2. Promote the global standing and visibility of WMO as a leading scientific organization in the fields of weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences within the United Nations and otherwise, and enhance the WMO role as facilitator of international cooperation in weather, climate, water, ocean and environmental sciences among all role players
  3. Promote science vision, and its downstream trends, with WMO and among its Members as the primary driver for innovation, understanding and the development of new and improved weather, climate, water, ocean and related environmental services and know-how

Members

The seventy-first WMO Executive Council in June 2019 appointed the first WMO Scientific Advisory Panel:

Richard O. Anyah, United States of America Carlos A. Nobre, Brazil
Stephen Belcher, United Kingdom Madeleine Renom, Uruguay
Gilbert Brunet, Australia Julia Slingo, United Kingdom
Opha P. Dube, Botswana Thomas Stocker, Switzerland
Vladimir M. Kattsov, Russian Federation Rucong YU, China
Toshio Koike, Japan  
Markku T. Kulmala, Finland  
Dennis P. Lettenmaier, United States of America  

 

The initial term of appointment will be for two years, starting on 1 July 2019, and is extendable. The Panel shall elect its Chair and a Vice-chair from amongst the members.

Composition

The Panel shall be composed of maximum fifteen independent leading internationally recognized experts coming from the fields of weather, climate, water, ocean and related environmental and social sciences.

The opportunity to become a member of the Panel shall be announced publicly for individuals to put their name forward. The members of the Panel shall be appointed by the Executive Council, taking into account regional and gender balance and representation of academia, research bodies, the private sector and user communities reflecting the breadth of engagement in WMO Research Programmes. The selection of the names to be proposed to the Executive Council to be appointed as Panel members shall be done by the Secretariat in consultation with the chair of the Research Board. The term of engagement for members shall be four years with the possibility of renewal for a second term.

A WMO Vice-President shall act as an Executive Council focal point for the Panel to ensure cross-communication.

The chair of the Research Board and a representative of the Secretariat shall take part in the meetings of the Panel.

Decisions on the composition of the Scientific Advisory Panel and the Research Board shall be made independently. However, experts may not be members of the Research Board and the Scientific Advisory Panel at the same time.

Working Procedures

The Panel shall select a chair and a vice-chair.

The Panel shall meet in principle once per year prior to a session of the Executive Council.

The chair of the Research Board together with the Secretariat shall support the chair of the Panel in setting up and executing the meetings. The chair of the Panel may invite experts and/or representatives from partner organizations to attend meetings of the Panel as observers.