Research Board on Weather, Climate, Water and the Environment (Research Board)
WMO, through its sponsored and co-sponsored research programmes - the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP), the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) - plays a unique role in facilitating and integrating research where international coordination enables scientific advances that would not happen otherwise. Its research programmes function by engaging with, and gaining the commitment of, the international science community to their programmes of work and, in turn, ensuring that participants derive benefit from engaging in WMO activities.
WWRP, GAW and WCRP are the building blocks of the Research Board. Each is led by a Steering Committee with responsibility to provide the overall scientific direction of the programme. The respective Steering Committees gear up the respective networks; develop and review science and implementation plans; review and assess the development of all elements of the programme; facilitate and prioritize research and development activities in their field of responsibility; facilitate the exchange of information among scientists participating in the programme; and collaborate with the broader scientific community.
The Research Board convenes the large international scientific community, who engage with WMO and who value the opportunity to enhance the societal impact of their research through their relationship with WMO. It fosters an integrated and multi disciplinary research approach to weather, climate, water and environment, and develops all elements of the value chain, from discovery science to serving society, in the context of the Earth system science.
What is the mandate of the Research Board?
Community engagement in WMO research programmes is broad and strong, reaching beyond WMO Members to research institutes and academia. Whilst WMO is recognized for providing opportunities to work collaboratively to the greater benefit of the science, much more could be achieved to strengthen WMO convening power and to derive greater value by integrating across the research programmes. This is the mandate of the Research Board.
By gearing up international scientific and technical endeavours, the Research Board supports and grows the scientific and technological capabilities of WMO and its Members as well as consolidates and strengthens the central role played by WMO in wider international agendas for environmental science and services.
Who are its Members?
The Research Board is comprised of scientific, technological and innovation experts who are recognized WMO Member experts. In addition, the United Nations, international organization partners, scientific funding agencies and private partners, with which WMO has agreements or arrangements, may be invited to nominate experts in scientific and technical innovation to participate in the work of the Board on a formal or ad hoc basis.
The WMO Executive Counsel appoints the 25 members of the Board for four-year terms, except for the rotating members. For ex-officio members, the duration of their term is based on that of their term of office.
How does it operate?
The chair ensures coordination of the work in the Research Board with the presidents of the two WMO Technical Commissions and the six Regional Associations, who will, similarly, coordinate their work with the Research Board chair. The Research Board is structured around and across the WMO research programmes as an effective and efficient coordinating and steering mechanism. In principle, the Research Board meets once per year.
Chair: Amanda Lynch
Vice- Chaire: Ilias Pechlivanidis
Research Programmes
WMO Science and Research in Action
Since its establishment, WMO has coordinated international research and advanced Earth system science to save lives and livelihoods, and to support socioeconomic development and well-being. These short videos introduce WMO’s scientific bodies—the Research Board and the Scientific Advisory Panel—and WMO-sponsored and co-sponsored research programmes: the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).
