Since 1970, more than 650 hydro-meteorological disasters have impacted Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories, affecting more than 35 million people and causing approximately US$ 34 billion in damages. Most Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories economies are small, narrowly focused and thus vulnerable to external shocks (such as fossil fuel, imported food prices and natural hazards) and largely reliant on local market and subsistence agriculture, fisheries and other use of natural resources to maintain livelihoods. Tourism is also a growing industry for some of the larger islands.
While Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories are already enhancing their weather and climate services, they are highly exposed to risks from extreme weather events and other adverse impacts of climate change and in need of support for further sustainable modernization of services. A major challenge is that the equipment and human resources needed for delivering quality weather services are expensive. For investments from donor partners to be sustainable, the national Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories government must be fully engaged as a partner. The entire government, and not just the Meteorological Service, must understand the very high payoff of investments in weather and climate services, including the lives saved, the property protected, and the economic gains realized by sectors such as aviation and agriculture. A better understanding of the contribution to sustainable development more broadly will also help to influence investment decisions.
Since 1970, more than 650 hydro-meteorological disasters have impacted SIDS and MITs, affecting more than 35 million people and causing approximately US$ 34 billion in damages.
The Small Island Developing States Action Platform, which is the Accelerated Modality of Action (S.A.M.O.A) Pathway, was endorsed during the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (Apia, Samoa, September 2014). During the Conference, WMO launched a partnership for strengthening weather and climate services in Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories.
At the Seventeenth World Meteorological Congress (Cg-17) in June 2015, the creation of the Programme for WMO Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories was adopted under Resolution 54 (Cg-17) - Programme for WMO SIDS and MITs. The programme pursues more targeted actions, such as capacity building to enhance and strengthen the capacities of Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and through the development and application of science-based climate information and services in support of decision making.
In view of the importance of the work of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to the sustainable socio-economic development of Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories, WMO supports its Members in developing adequate structures and building capacity to ensure that relevant and the most sophisticated information is available in a timely manner to address issues that concern them. These include natural hazards, climate change, sea-level rise, environmental degradation, agriculture, fishing and mariculture, freshwater resources, coastal zone management, transport by sea and air, energy and tourism.
WMO also supports the efforts of all Small Island Developing States and Member Island Territories to develop its own early warning system, which is scientifically sound and culturally sensitive. The National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in each countries should be able to provide related information, including forecasts and warnings of natural hazards and day-to-day variations in weather and climate, which affect all aspects of daily activities in agriculture, tourism and other socio-economic activities.
