The Integrated African Strategy for Meteorology was adopted by the Second Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology, which took place from 15-19 October 2012, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
The Strategy seeks to improve weather and climate services for sustainable development.
23 October 2012: The Second Session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology adopted an Integrated African Strategy for Meteorology that seeks to address the challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather hazards.
The ministerial conference, which took place from 15-19 October 2012, in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the African Union Commission (AU) and the Government of Zimbabwe. It focused on how to improve weather and climate services for sustainable development, particularly for agriculture, water, health, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and transport.
Conference participants noted that many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in Africa operate with poor infrastructure and limited capability. The Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather and Climate Services) adopted at the conclusion of the conference aims to, inter alia: increase political support and recognition of NMHSs and related Regional Climate Centres; support the provision of weather and climate services for climate change adaptation and mitigation; and strengthen partnerships with relevant institutions and funding mechanisms.
The Strategy will enhance cooperation among African countries and improve the capacity of NMHSs to implement the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), which is being developed by WMO and its UN partners to improve climate services, especially for the most vulnerable. [WMO Press Release]