21 June 2018: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued its 2017 annual report titled, ‘Services for Decision-Making.’ The report provides an overview of progress made by the WMO and its members to improve the delivery of predictions and information by ensuring that service providers consult with users when developing new services to better help communities prepare for climate change and build resilience.

In the foreword to the report, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stresses that governments rely on the provision of information and services to help advance the SDGs, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the Paris Agreement on climate change. He notes that decision makers must understand how climate variability and change will affect agriculture, water resources, energy production, finance, migration, public health and disaster risk management (DRM), emphasizing the need to integrate weather and climate information with socioeconomic, geographical and other data.

In 2017, the WMO amassed a project portfolio of approximately US$96 million to support countries in every region of the world.

More specifically, the report highlights various events and projects, including:

• the WMO HydroHub, which aims to stimulate innovation and community engagement for ensuring more sustainable hydrological measurements;
• the WMO’s attainment of official observer status with the Arctic Council;
• the launch, by the WMO, of the Year of Polar Prediction to improve Arctic and Antarctic prediction;
• the launch and operationalization, by national agencies, of the next generation of meteorological satellites; and
• the expansion of WMO Global Atmosphere Watch reporting to cover reactive gases and airborne dust.

In 2017, the WMO also: strengthened its partnerships with other UN organizations; broadened the scope of situational reports and analysis to help decision makers strengthen DRR and aid relief efforts; and amassed a project portfolio of approximately US$96 million to support countries in every region of the world.

In addition, the report underscores the strengthening of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS), an integrated, comprehensive and coordinated hub for global weather, climate and water observations. According to the report, high-quality data on water quantity and quality, and the hydrological cycle are critical for hydrological services and evidence-based policy and decision making, as well as for the achievement of SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).

The report highlights that the WMO community as a whole, including National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), can make an important contribution to achieving the SDGs through: weather forecasts and warnings to help countries reduce damage from extreme events; climate predictions and services that guide public policies on sustainable development and private sector decisions that lead to economic growth; hydrological information that helps secure water supplies and manage floods and drought; and mobilizing resources for investments in developing countries. [Publication: WMO 2017 Annual Report: Services for Decision-Making] [WMO Press Release]