6 November 2017: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation on research and evidence to support climate policy making and climate-smart investment, and on improvement of climate products and services for mitigation and adaptation action.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa signed the MoU on 6 November 2017, in Bonn, Germany, on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference.

The UNFCCC and WMO will collaborate on communication campaigns that improve understanding of, and motivate action on, climate change and sustainable development.

The agreement provides a framework for collaboration between the UNFCCC and the WMO on mitigation, adaptation and awareness raising. More specifically, it will focus on, inter alia: communication campaigns that improve understanding of, and motivate action on, climate change and sustainable development; strengthened climate change leadership and engagement at all levels; strengthened collaboration related to global and region-specific frameworks and mechanisms; and technical cooperation related to data, tools and methods to improve climate products and services and their access for climate action.

The agreement also identifies specific areas of cooperation and associated deliverables related to: WMO’s Annual Statements on the State of the Climate, and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Bulletin reports which are submitted to the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA); the Integrated Global GHG Information System under development by WMO and partners; and national adaptation plans (NAPs) and climate services for adaptation. [WMO Press Release]