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David Grimes, President of WMO
Preface
I am seized by the potential for the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in reading the Report of the High
Level Task-force, where it characterizes a clear and striking appreciation of three key premises: i) everyone is affected
by climate, especially by its extremes for their safety and livelihoods; ii) needs-based climate services can be extremely
effective in realizing socio-economic benefits by enabling communities, businesses, organizations and governments
to adapt through informed choices in managing the associated risks and opportunities; and iii) governments and
stakeholder communities at global, regional and national levels can together close the significant gulf between the
needs for climate services and the capacity to deliver, especially in places where they need them the most.
The call for bridging this gap came from the Heads of States and Governments, Ministers and Heads of
Delegation representing more than 150 countries, 34 United Nations Organizations and 36 Governmental and
non-Governmental international organizations who attended the Third World Climate Conference in 2009.
They recognized that investment in climate services would be beneficial for their citizens and institutions to
adapt to climate variability and change and to build climate resilient communities. They unanimously adopted a
Declaration establishing the Global Framework for Climate Services to mainstream value-added information for
decision makers through user-driven and science-based activities.
Following from the High Level Task Force’s roadmap for the GFCS, the Sixteenth Session of the World
Meteorological Congress (Geneva, 16 May to 3 June 2011) endorsed the Report’s broad thrusts and initiated
the detailed preparations for its implementation to be approved at its First Extraordinary Session of the World
Meteorological Congress in Geneva, 29 to 31 October 2012. This has only been made possible through a
dedicated team of writers, the WMO secretariat, and the Executive Council Task Team under my leadership.
The outcomes of the GFCS will empower all in society to better adapt to the risks and opportunities from
climate variability and change, and especially those who are most exposed to climate related hazards. A framework
of coordinated and complementary actions and measures, exercised at global, regional, national and local scales,
offers the promise to all of providing meaningful, needs-based climate services for widespread use. The initial
priorities are aimed at improving the provision of climate services for decision-making and policy development
related to important health, food security and agriculture, water resources and disaster risk reduction outcomes.
The success of the GFCS will be in the engagement of providers and users, requiring a global mobilization of effort
and an unprecedented collaboration among institutions across political, functional and disciplinary boundaries.
Climate ExChange provides a wealth of information on developments in the provision of climate services
by WMO Members. It also highlights initiatives led by others such as the World Bank and the World Food
Programme revealing opportunities for partnerships with non-governmental actors. These articles serve to illustrate
the solid foundation on which the GFCS can be based. This publication will be a lasting example of how the GFCS
can build upon the existing efforts to advance improvements in the provision of needs based climate services.
I am pleased that, once again, WMO has forged a partnership with Tudor Rose in this endeavour.
David Grimes, President of WMO
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