December 2008: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is organizing the First Workshop for South American Region on the Implementation of Climate Watch Systems, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 8-11 December 2008.

The workshop will address the implementation of climate watches in the
region, based on the existing infrastructure and expertise at national
and regional levels. The event aims to ensure that National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and regional climate
institutions make use of best practices in delivery, provision and
evaluation of climate watches, and implement best practices in managing
the interaction among the three involved parties, namely: regional
institutions, NMHSs and end users.
Specifically, the workshop’s
objectives include: addressing the need for climate watches in the
region; reviewing the status of climate monitoring and long range
forecasting capabilities at regional and national levels; reviewing and
discussing climate watch showcases from the region and from abroad;
working on tailoring the WMO guidelines on climate watches to the
region’s needs; recommending best practices for the region in issuing
climate watches; recommending best strategies towards users of climate
watches; developing an action plan to implement climate watches at the
national and regional level; and recommending a follow-up mechanism on
the implementation of climate watches. [Workshop Presentation]