WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
PANEL OF EXPERTS ON POLAR AND HIGH MOUNTAIN
OBSERVATIONS, RESEARCH AND SERVICES
Sixth session
Reykjavik, Iceland, 8-11 September 2015
EC-PHORS-6/Doc.5(2)
Submitted by: Secretariat
Date: 28 August 2015
AGENDA ITEM: 5
REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ON CLIMATE SERVICES FOR
THE THIRD POLE REGION
SUMMARY
ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED:
1. Preparation for the proposed “Regional Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services for
the Third Pole Region” (the Third Pole GFCS Consultation), New Delhi, India, February
2016;
2. Expected outcomes of the Third Pole GFCS Consultation being organized as part of the
Canada-funded project on GFCS.
DECISIONS/ACTIONS REQUIRED:
1. Provide guidance on the identification of potential participants in the Third Pole GFCS
Consultation, in particular:
a. stakeholders and decision-makers from the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region
including representatives from NMHSs, the private sector, academia, other
members of civil society;
b. other experts including those from UN bodies, IGOs, NGOs, and the private sector;
2. Review of the proposed agenda outline and expected outcomes of the Third Pole GFCS
Consultation;
3. Guidance on the way forward to implement GFCS in the Third Pole region:
a. development of climate services for the Third Pole region;
b. institutional arrangements, partnerships and processes required to operationalize
the GFCS at the regional and national level.
REFERENCES:
1. EC-PHORS-6/Doc.5(3), “ Polar Regional Climate Centres and Regional Climate Outlook
Forums”
2. EC-PORS-5/Doc.3.5, “Review of EC-PORS Activity Since EC-PORS- 4: Third Pole and
other High Mountain Regions”
3. Final Report of the 3rd Session of the EC Panel of Experts on Polar Observations,
Research and Services
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 2
REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ON CLIMATE SERVICES FOR
THE THIRD POLE REGION
Background
1. To develop the five GFCS pillars at the national, regional and global levels, consultations
are being conducted with key stakeholders in the various regions so that existing practices,
expertise and infrastructure can be effectively and efficiently built on. Consultations have
been held for South East Europe (November 2014), Latin America (July 2014), the Pacific
Islands (April 2014), the Caribbean (May 2013) and the Least Developed Countries in Asia
(October 2012).
2. With support from the Programme for Implementing GFCS at Regional and National Scales
funded by the Government of Canada, a “Regional Stakeholder Consultation on Climate
Services for the Third Pole Region” (the Third Pole GFCS Consultation) is planned to be
conducted at New Delhi, India, in February 2016 (ref: draft Concept Note in Annex).
3. Key Result 3 of the Canadian-funded project deals with the initiation of a process for the
establishment of climate service delivery for the Third Pole Region (incl. Himalaya and
Tibetan Plateau Region) and the preparation of a robust plan for the development of
climate services in the region in a participative manner. Accordingly, the proposed Third
Pole GFCS Consultation is aimed to deliver concrete outputs in support of the process of
establishing climate service delivery in this region.
Regional stakeholder consultation
4. The Third GFCS Pole Consultation is expected to bring together a well-representative set
of stakeholders from the HKH encompassing the relevant government ministries including
the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), UN bodies, IGOs, NGOs,
private sector, academia, and other members of civil society.
5. The discussion will focus on the capacities and requirements of operational communities
engaged in climate services as well the requirements of the various user communities of
climate information. In particular, the consultation will address climate information
requirements in the GFCS priority sectors of food security, water, health, disaster risk
reduction, and energy.
Participants, Summary Agenda and Expected Outcomes of the Third Pole Consultation
6. EC-PHORS is invited to review the attached draft concept note on Third Pole GFCS
Consultation and to provide guidance to the Secretariat regarding the organization of the
Consultation and regarding outcomes that the Consultation might be reasonably expected
to achieve to support the preparation of a plan for climate service delivery in this region
7.
In particular, EC-PHORS is invited to:
a. Provide guidance on the potential participants comprising (i) stakeholders from the
Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region including representatives from NMHSs, the
private sector, academia, other members of civil society and (ii) other experts
including those from UN bodies, IGOs, NGOs, and the private sector;
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 3
b. Review the proposed agenda outline and expected outcomes of the Third Pole
GFCS Consultation;
c. Provide guidance on the way forward to implement GFCS in the Third Pole and
other high mountain regions including (i) development of climate services for the
Third Pole and other high mountain regions (ii) institutional arrangements,
partnerships and processes required to be considered to operationalize the GFCS
at the regional and national level.
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 4
Annex
Draft Concept Note
REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION ON
CLIMATE SERVICES FOR THE THIRD POLE REGION
February 2016, New Delhi, India
Introduction - Global Framework for Climate Services
The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) was established in 2009 at the World Climate
Conference-3 that was organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), other United
Nations (UN) agencies, Governments and partners to guide the development of climate services
around the world. The GFCS initiative has an overarching vision to enable society to better
manage the risks and opportunities arising from climate variability and change. In particular, the
GFCS prioritizes its support to those most vulnerable to climate variability and change. The GFCS
aims to develop and incorporate science-based climate information and prediction into planning,
policy and practice. The full benefit of GFCS will be realized incrementally through the delivery and
use of a multitude of climate services at regional, national and local levels.
The GFCS addresses five priority areas in which climate information is critical for decision-making:
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agriculture and food security;
water;
health;
disaster risk reduction; and
energy.
To support decision making, the GFCS will strengthen the following five pillars that are critical for
the production, management, delivery and application of climate information and services:
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User Interface Platform: structuring a means for users, climate researchers and climate
information providers to interact at all levels;
Climate Services Information System: developing a mechanism through which
information about climate (past, present and future) will be routinely collected, stored and
processed to generate and deliver products and services that inform often complex
decision-making across a wide range of climate-sensitive activities and enterprises;
Observations and Monitoring: ensuring that climate observations and other data,
including metadata, required to meet the needs of end users are collected, managed,
disseminated and assessed;
Research, Modelling and Prediction: fostering research that continually improves the
scientific quality of climate information and services, providing an evidence base for the
impacts of climate change and variability, and for the value of using climate information;
and
Coordination and Capacity Development: addressing the mechanisms for coordination
and the networks needed to link information providers and affected communities, and the
needs for capacity development to enable the interpretation, translation and use of climate
information to support decision making.
To develop the five GFCS pillars at the national, regional and global levels, consultations are being
conducted with key stakeholders in the various regions so that existing practices, expertise and
infrastructure can be effectively and efficiently built on. Regional consultations have so far been
conducted for Southeastern Europe (November 2014), Latin America (July 2014), the Pacific
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 5
Islands (April 2014), the Caribbean (May 2013) and the Least Developed Countries in Asia
(October 2012).
With support from the Programme for Implementing GFCS at Regional and National Scales funded
by the Government of Canada, a “Regional Consultation on Climate Services for the Third Pole
and other High Mountain Regions” is being conducted in New Delhi, India, in February 2016.
Background – The Third Pole Region
The region that spans the Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range including the Tibetan Plateau is
widely known as the Third Pole region, because it contains vast cryospheric zones and the world’s
largest reservoir of snow and ice outside the Polar Regions. The Third Pole region covers an area
of more than 4.3 million square kilometers and hosts a large and culturally diverse human
population. It is also the source of ten major rivers providing irrigation, power and drinking water to
over 1.3 billion people (nearly 20% of the world’s population), and is particularly sensitive to climate
variability and change.
The WMO Executive Council (EC), through its Panel of Experts on Polar and High Mountain
Observations, Research and Services (EC-PHORS), highlighted the major impact of the Third Pole
region on regional weather and climate, and on water availability, and the vulnerability of its natural
environment. Indeed, the rate of warming in the Third Pole region has been higher than the global
average. Significantly, changes to the Cryosphere in high-altitude Asia will directly impact not only
local and adjacent regions, but also produce socio-economic impacts on downstream regions.
Regional Stakeholder Consultation
The Regional Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services for the Third Pole Region aims to
bring together a broad range of stakeholders and decision-makers from the HKH encompassing
representatives of relevant government ministries including the National Meteorological and
Hydrological Services (NMHSs), UN bodies, IGOs, NGOs, private sector, academia, and other
members of civil society.
The consultations will focus on the current status and requirements of operational communities
providing climate services as well the capacities and requirements of the various user communities
of climate information. In particular, the consultation will address climate information requirements
in the GFCS priority areas of agriculture, water, health, disaster risk reduction and energy.
Objectives of the Third Pole GFCS Consultation
The objectives of the consultation are to:
 review the current status of climate services in the Third Pole region;
 assess specific needs in the five GFCS priority areas (agriculture and food security; water;
health; disaster risk reduction and renewable energy) at the regional, national and local
levels;
 review and characterize the current status of interfacing mechanisms and interactions
between climate services providers and users, identify major areas for improvement and
recommend effective mechanisms and practices;
 articulate the capacity development needs for the region in order to address all five GFCS
pillars (that is, a specification of the requisite institutional mandates as well as infrastructure
and human resources requirements);
 identify enhancements that can be made to the management of national observation
networks; and research and analysis of national and local climate issues including impact
indicators; and recommend how to improve access to and the utility of climate data and
predictions;
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 6
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identify concrete follow-up actions to enable the provision of climate services in the Third
Pole region; and
identify partnerships among relevant stakeholders and ways to improve and sustain them.
Expected Outcomes of the Consultation
The Third Pole GFCS Consultation aims to produce the following specific outcomes:
1. enhanced understanding of the needs for climate services in the user sectors agriculture
and food security, water, health, disaster risk reduction and energy;
2. improved knowledge of the existing interface mechanisms and recommendations for
improvements where needed;
3. clear understanding of capacity development needs to implement the GFCS at regional and
national levels;
4. agreement on the necessary steps to develop a robust plan for the development of climate
services for the Third Pole region; and
5. strategic guidance on institutional arrangements, partnerships and processes required to
operationalize the GFCS at the regional and national levels.
Agenda Outline of the Consultation
Day 1: Overview and Current Status
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Introduction/welcome to the consultation
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Presentation of the GFCS
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Provision and application of climate services in the Third Pole region: opportunities and
challenges
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Overview of current status of climate prediction and climate services in the region (20
min presentations by 2-3 regional entities)
o
Country status: production, management, delivery and/or application of climate
information and services (10 min presentation by the countries having territories in the
Third Pole region)
o
GFCS priority sectors (15 min presentation by expert on each sector: agriculture and
food security; water; health; disaster risk reduction; energy)
Discussion of common priorities and regional cooperation for climate services improvement
Day 2: Third Pole Climate Services Development

Developing climate services at the regional and national levels (30 min presentations
focused on each of the GFCS pillars):
o User Interface Platform
o Climate Services Information System
o Observations and Monitoring
o Research, Modelling and Prediction
o Capacity Development
EC-PORS-6/Doc.5(2), p. 7
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The Cryosphere
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Observation of the Cryosphere in the Third Pole and the Global Cryosphere Watch
(GCW)
Impacts of changes in the Cryosphere on agriculture and food security; water;
health; disaster risk reduction; energy
Applications of cryospheric information
Tailoring of climate information to meet the specific needs to high-mountain communities
within the Third Pole region
Day 3: Way Forward – A Robust Plan for Third Pole Climate Services
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Strengthening the interaction between the climate community of the Third Pole and the
climate information users communities
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Exploring means of producing and delivering user-targeted services in the Third Pole region
and the required global/regional inputs
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Addressing capacity development needs for production and uptake of climate information
products at the national level
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Scoping a communication strategy and resource mobilization perspectives
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Identification of institutional arrangements, partnerships and processes
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Contours of an implementing plan for GFCS in the Third Pole region and the next steps in
further development