31 August 2009: The World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3), organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), opened in Geneva, Switzerland, on 31 August 2009, under the theme “Climate prediction and information for decision-making.”

The Conference will convene until 4 September, and has brought together climate scientists, world experts, Heads of State and Government, and ministers and Heads of UN and other international organizations concerned with the implications of climate variability and change. WCC-3 aims to provide a vision for an international framework for climate services that links science-based climate predictions and information with the management of climate-related risks and opportunities in support of adaptation to climate variability and change in both developed and developing countries. The Conference also seeks to identify the essential elements of a global framework for meeting the future climate information needs of the UNFCCC.
The major expected outcomes of WCC-3 are a Conference statement identifying the needs for climate services and the current and developing capabilities and mechanisms for meeting these needs, and a declaration that will propose a strategy for developing climate services through establishing a Global Framework for Climate Services. [IISD RS coverage]